How Environment and Epigenetics Lead to Reduced Self-Regulation and the Development of Related Mental Disorders: A Computational Multi-Level Adaptive Dynamical System Analysis

In recent years, it has been found that the way in which environmental factors can lead to the development of mental disorders can often be explained by biological mechanisms that involve epigenetic changes of gene expression. This book introduces a multidisciplinary computational approach to model, formalise and analyse the interplay of environment and epigenetics in the development of mental disorders. It is shown how five levels of control can be distinguished in a biologically motivated manner and used to obtain a multilevel adaptive dynamical system architecture for how environmental factors via epigenetic changes can lead to reduced self-regulation of different types that in turn are related to different mental disorders. Furthermore, it is shown how such a multilevel adaptive dynamical system architecture with five levels of control can be formalised, simulated and analysed by self-modeling temporal-causal network models. The approach is illustrated for a wide variety of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, autism, burnout, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, and more.

Structure of the Book

Part I
Introduction and Background

In this part, an introduction for the book as a whole is provided and a global overview of the research programme and results obtained is given (Chapter 1). In particular, a general introduction and overview of the role of environment and epigenetics in reduced self-regulation and the development of mental disorders is provided (Chapter 2) and hypothese discussed (Chapter 3). Moreover, the basic concepts used throughout the book are explained concerning, among others, multilevel adaptive dynamical systems with multiple control levels that play a role in the interaction of epigenetic factors, gene expression, mRNA production, enzyme production, brain physiology structure and mental processes. It is discussed how higher-order adaptive self-modeling network modeling can be used to model and analyse these multilevel adaptive dynamical systems computationally (Chapter 4).


1. Joel T. Nigg, Jan Treur
On the Interplay of Environment, Epigenetics, and Self-Regulation in the Development of Mental Disorders: Multi-Level Adaptive Dynamical System Analysis

2. Joel T. Nigg
Toward the Need for Dynamical Systems Modeling in Psychopathology: Features of Mental Disorder that any Explanatory Theory must Consider and Key Definitions Thereof

3. Joel T. Nigg
Sketch of a dynamic common pathways, epigenetic theory of psychopathology with hypotheses

4. Jan Treur
An Integrative Multi-Adaptive Biological-Mental-Environmental Network Architecture for
Epigenetic Control and Mental Self-Regulation


Part II
From Environment and Epigenetics to Reduced Emotion, Stress or Mood Regulation

This part focuses on mental disorders where via environmental circumstances and epigenetic changes emotion, stress or mood regulation is disrupted, addressing anxiety (Chapter 5), depression (Chapter 6), enhanced sensory processing sensitivity in ASD (Chapter 7), and burnout (Chapter 8).

5. Shivant Kathusing, Natalie Samhan, Jan Treur
The Role of Epigenetics for Emotion Regulation in Anxiety Disorders: Higher-Order Adaptive Dynamical System Analysis

6. Taylor Magielse, Diana Pena Lage, Isabel Van Lieshout, Jan Treur
Analysis of the Role of Epigenetics in Major Depressive Disorder based on Higher-Order Adaptive Dynamical System Modelling

7. Florian David, George Kalibala, Blandine Pichon, Jan Treur
Epigenetic and Adaptive Influences on Modulating Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Stress Regulation in Autism: A Multilevel Adaptive Network Analysis Approach

8. Debby Bouma, Jan Treur, Sophie C.F. Hendrikse
Epigenetics, Changing Organizational Contexts, Personality Traits, Stress Regulation and Burnout: an Integrative Multi-Adaptive Biological-Mental-Social Network Analysis

Part III
From Environment and Epigenetics to Reduced Attention or Action Regulation

This part focuses on mental disorders where via environmental circumstances and epigenetic changes regulation of attention or action is disrupted, such as ADHD (Chapter 9) and OCD (Chapter 10).

9. Nastasija Loren Hinkel, Jan Treur
Epigenetics, ADHD and Digital Media Usage: Computational Analysis of Development and Traditional and Mindfulness-based Interventions

10. Lotte Huisman, Catherine Ong, Marco van de Werken, Jan Treur
A Multi-Order Adaptive Network Analysis for DNA-Methylation Pathways, Action Regulation and the Development of OCD

Part IV
From Environment and Epigenetics to Reduced Social Behaviour Regulation

This part focuses on mental disorders where via environmental circumstances and epigenetic changes regulation of social behaviour is disrupted, such as antisocial personality disorder (Chapter 11) and psychopathy (Chapter 12).

11. Zoë Azra Blei, Sophie C.F. Hendrikse, Jan Treur
Epigenetic Modification due to Childhood Abuse and its Relation to Social Behaviour Regulation and ASPD: A Fifth-Order Adaptive Network Model

12. Femke Augustinus, Sophie C.F. Hendrikse, Jan Treur
Modeling the Role of Epigenetics for Social Behavior Regulation in Psychopathy: A Multi-Level Adaptive Dynamic Modelling Approach

Part V
From Environment and Epigenetics to Reduced Memory Regulation

This part focuses on mental disorders where via environmental circumstances and epigenetic changes regulation of perception or memory is disrupted, such as can happen with schizophrenia (Chapter 13) and post traumatic stress disorder (Chapter 14).

13. Ilma Jaganjac, Sophie C.F. Hendrikse, Jan Treur
Multilevel Adaptive Dynamical System Modeling for Memory Regulation and the Role of Epigenetics in the Development of Schizophrenia and False Memories

14. Iva Gunjača, Natalie Samhan, Jan Treur.
Multi-Order Adaptive Network Modeling for Pathways of DNA Methylation and their Effects on Memory Regulation Leading to Flashbacks and PTSD

Part VI
Further Perspectives and Discussion

This part summarizes (Chapter 15) the obtained results and points out what can be put on a future research agenda.

15. Jan Treur, Joel T. Nigg
Perspectives for Adaptive Dynamical Systems Analysis of the Interplay of Environment, Epigenetics, and Self-Regulation in the Development of Mental Disorders