Can stress experienced by a mother rat change the brains of her great-grandchildren , and what does that tell us about how early experience shapes human development? Neuroscientist Brian Kolb presents evidence that epigenetic effects of stress, tactile stimulation, and drugs of abuse persist across at least four generations, with profound implications for understanding literacy, cognitive development, and public health. Subscribe for more from the Convergent Science Network podcast series. Brian Kolb joins Paul Verschure and Tony Prescott at the BCBT summer school to discuss how experience interacts with gene expression to reshape brain circuits and behavior across generations. His research methodology follows a systematic pipeline: first identify behavioral changes, then locate synaptic reorganization in the brain using Golgi staining, then dril ...