High School Science Project: Can Stress Affect Our DNA and Make Us More Sensitive to Sounds?

Project Overview

This project explores how life experiences, like stress, might change the way our DNA works without changing the actual genetic code. These changes, called epigenetic modifications, might explain why some people are highly sensitive to certain sounds—a condition called misophonia. The project also looks at whether these changes can be passed from parents to children, helping to explain why misophonia might run in families.

Project Goals

1. Investigate how stress might affect DNA in people with misophonia:
   • Study whether stress leads to changes in "epigenetic markers" (molecules that attach to DNA and affect how genes work)
2. Explore if misophonia runs in families due to these changes:
   • See if parents with misophonia pass on specific epigenetic markers to their children
3. Learn how stress and sound sensitivity are connected:
   • Understand how life experiences, like stressful events, might make people more sensitive to certain sounds

Materials

• Surveys:
  • Questions about stress levels and reactions to sounds (e.g., "How stressful do you find everyday situations?" or "Do certain sounds make you feel very annoyed or upset?")
• Diagrams or Models:
  • Visuals showing how DNA can be influenced by environmental factors like stress (epigenetics)
• Paper and Markers:
  • For participants to map out their family history with sound sensitivities
• Notebook or Computer:
  • To organize survey responses and analyze patterns

Note: Instead of using actual biological samples (e.g., DNA), this project will use surveys and family histories to simulate the concept of epigenetic inheritance.

Steps to Conduct the Project

1. Recruit Participants:
   • Ask friends, family, or classmates if they or their relatives are sensitive to sounds. Ensure their responses are anonymous
2. Distribute Surveys:
   • Collect information about participants' reactions to sounds, stress levels, and whether they know of family members who are also sensitive to sounds
3. Create Family Trees:
   • Ask participants to draw simple family trees showing if parents, siblings, or grandparents have sound sensitivities
4. Analyze Patterns:
   • Look for trends, such as whether people with misophonia have more family members with similar sensitivities
5. Discuss Epigenetics:
   • Use visuals to explain how stress might change the way DNA works and how these changes could be passed to future generations

Example Survey Questions

• Stress and Sound Sensitivity Questions:
  • How often do you feel stressed in your daily life? (1 = never, 10 = always)
  • Do specific sounds (like chewing, tapping, or typing) make you feel upset or angry? (Yes/No)
  • On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do these sounds bother you?
• Family History Questions:
  • Does anyone in your family (parents, siblings, grandparents) also dislike certain sounds? (Yes/No)
  • How closely related are they to you (e.g., parent, sibling)?

Expected Outcomes

• Participants with misophonia may report higher stress levels or family histories of sound sensitivity
• The project might show patterns suggesting that sensitivity to sounds is more common in families, supporting the idea that it could be influenced by inherited factors like epigenetic changes

Why This Matters

Understanding how stress and family history might influence sensitivity to sounds could help researchers explore how life experiences affect our DNA. It also helps raise awareness about misophonia and how it might be passed through families, encouraging empathy and better support for people with this condition.