NR3C1 and psychiatric disorder: Moreover, epigenetic alterations in the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene of maltreated individuals and reductions in telomere length (Shalev et al. 2012) have also been identified in animal and human studies (Weaver et al. 2004) and likely contribute to altered stress-reactivity and heightened susceptibility to psychiatric disorders in maltreated and traumatized children.