Scientists from the University of Southern Florida (USF) found that chemical epigenetics modifications in genes of Tutsi women who were pregnant during the Rwanda genocide in 1994 are linked to mental disorders that affected the children they were carrying at that time.
MailOnline reported that DNA tests from blood samples of Tutsi victims and their offspring showed that, unlike genetic mutations, these chemical changes in their genes can have a rapid response to trauma across generations. More so, it provides more evidence on the theory of intergenerational trauma that says it can be inherited due to genetic changes.
Relatives of Rwandas 1994 genocide victims check remains after their recovery in Gasabo district, a suburb of Kigali, on May 1, 2019.
100 Days of Slaughter: How Rwanda Genocide in 1994 Started
About 800,000 people were slaughtered during the Rwanda genocide that happened within 100 days starting on April 6, 1994, according to BBC News. Ethnic Hutu extremists were targeting members of the minority ethnic group Tutsi and other political opponents, regardless of their ethnic origin.
Despite being a minority, Tutsi has long dominated Rwanda until 1959 when Hutus overthrew the Tutsi monarchy in which thousands of them left to neighboring countries, such as Uganda. But the Tutsi group also formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and invaded the country in 1990. The fight between Hutu and Tutsi went on for years until a peace treaty was signed in 1993.
But on the night of April 6, 1994, the then-President Juvenal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi who are both Hutus were killed when their plane was shot down. Hutus blamed RPF and immediately organized a campaign to slaughter all Tutsi people, but it was refuted by the RPF saying that the Hutus were only looking for a reason to conduct the genocide.
This traumatic historic event went on to affect generations even when it ended 100 days later. USF scientists, who tested DNA of blood samples from Tutsi mothers and their offspring, found that it caused chemical epigenetics modifications that linked to developing mental disorders, such as PTSD, that are passed down to the next generations.
Prenatal Genocide Exposure Caused Adverse Impacts on Offspring
A news release from USF reported that researchers found that the terror of genocide is linked to chemical modifications to the DNA of those exposed women and their children. These modifications implicated the risk of mental disorders that are passed down to their children.
USF Professor Monica Uddin said epigenetics is a stable, reversible, chemical modification to the DNA that controls a gene's function. It can happen within a short frame that could change the underlying DNA sequence of genes.
She said that the study, titled "Transgenerational Effects of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda: A Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Domain Analysis" published in Epigenomics, suggests prenatal genocide exposure is linked to the epigenetic pattern that shows reduced gene function in the offsprings of women who were pregnant at that time.
Researchers noted that people in the study were curious about why many people in Rwanda are experiencing PTSD and other mental health disorders. They wanted answers as to why they are feeling and having these issues.
Although the study specifically looks at the effect of the Rwanda genocide on Tutsi women and their offspring, it also showed how events during pregnancy could have long-term effects on the fetus, wherein many symptoms arise until later in life. This proves that there is a need to enhance efforts to protect the safety and emotional and psychological wellbeing of pregnant women.
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