Neurological Correlates

On this blog over the years, we’ve wondered in horrified awe whether there is an entire generation of people who are excellent at Machiavellian elbowing their way to the top of hierarchical organizations, the people who have little to no gag reflex. Or, rather, moral center.   Most people ascribe this to moral failings in society. We’ve wondered if there was mass fetal alcohol spectrum from maternal smoking, drinking and drugging in the ’60’s and ’70’s.  Or even stress-induced epigenetics.

Well, guess what? No don’t, you already know what: moderate fetal alcohol causes epigenetic changes.  So far a mouse study.

Here’s a visual of craniofacial effects.  A is normals, B is males with maternal ethanol (notice the left leaning skull), and C is a female with maternal alcohol, missing mid- line details from the brain.

As a technical matter, epigenetics is still a little fuzzy, and persistence is a question.

Kaminen-Ahola N, Ahola A, Maga M, Mallitt K-A, Fahey P, et al. (2010) Maternal Ethanol Consumption Alters the Epigenotype and the Phenotype of Offspring in a Mouse Model. PLoS Genet 6(1): e1000811. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000811

You can see this one coming.

Some of your loyal bloggists’ earliest fond memories are suburban picnics with the mothers in  Jungle Gardenia perfume,  smoking Virginia Slims and downing Tanqueray and tonics, any one of which  alone or in combination could cause if not epigenetic changes on the spot at least serious cultural perturbances.  Boomers, GenX, Gen Y, and on up, fast forward or go back 10 -20 years, doesn’t matter, add drugs or pot or hot tubs or Bee Gees or mullets.  The F1 generation of this US suburban culture grew up and became leaders of the massive organizational hierarchies of the late 20th century early 2000′s.  Then, instead of the Star-Trek IV type utopia that was supposed to happen with whales and all, we get total organizational self-dealing and dysfunction.

Now, Chicago school economists would say, “Swivelchair, this is what’s supposed to happen. Everyone acts in their total self interest until things go all to hell and then it starts over.  That’s economics and game theory in Chicago.”

We respectfully disagree with this hypothetical comment (see, here, here, and here for example).

In thinking things through more thoroughly,  mas slight fetal alcohol epigenetics could totally explain the rise of Reagan-era Chicago school economics: rational , self-interested, and total lack of any milk of human kindness. Mild fetal alcohol effects, epigenetic or otherwise, may be sufficient to disconnect the empathy pathway (see the mid-line distortion). If that happened to an entire generation privileged to become the executive red carpet club class, well, there you go.