Topic: genetic predisposition

This lecture examines how genetic predisposition interacts with environmental exposure in disease. It reviews methods for detecting these interactions, the role of large biobanks and examples including obesity. Gene regulation and environmentally influenced epigenetic changes provide possible molecular mechanisms.

Mindsets are core assumptions about the nature and workings of things in the world that orient us to a particular set of attributions, expectations, and goals. Our study of mindsets is, in part, inspired by research on the placebo effect, a robust demonstration of the ability of mindsets, conscious or subconscious, to elicit physiological changes in the body. This talk will explore the role of mindsets in three stages of chronic disease progression: genetic predisposition, behavioral prevention, and clinical treatment. I will discuss the mechanisms through which mindsets influence health as we