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. 2019 Apr 30;10:982. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00982

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Copyright © 2019 Schmitz, Güntürkün and Ocklenburg.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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Alternative forms of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. (A) Germ line epigenetic inheritance: An environmental factor acts on the F₀ generation and induces an epigenetic state that is transmitted to subsequent, unaffected individuals via the germ line. (B) Experience-dependent epigenetic inheritance: Maternal behavior induces an epigenetic state in the offspring (F₁) that in turn influences F₁ behavior toward its offspring (F₂) transmitting behavior and epigenetic states across generations. (C) Gene-dependent epigenetic inheritance: A genetic factor modulates the probability of an environmental factor that influences F₁ epigenetic states. As F₁ likely transmits the genetic factor to F₂, epigenetic states are transmitted across generations.