AI Article Synopsis
- The study explores how early life adversity (ELA), such as physical maltreatment and neglect, affects health across generations, suggesting that changes in gene expression (epigenetics) play a role.
- Researchers used a primate model to analyze the DNA methylation patterns in baby rhesus macaques born to maltreated and non-maltreated mothers, finding significant differences in their genetic markers.
- The results indicate that these differences relate to lower stress hormone levels and have connections to traits like child abuse, highlighting the long-term impact of ELA on future generations.
Article Abstract
Background: Early life adversity (ELA) result in detrimental physical and mental health outcomes. The impact of ELA can reverberate across generations, with epigenetic modifications being one of the proposed biological correlates of exposure to ELA. Here we bridge the translational gap between rodent models and clinical studies by utilizing a nonhuman primate model to study the cross-generational epigenetic and functional footprints of physical maltreatment and neglect.
Methods: Methylomic profiling was performed using the Illumina MethylationEPIC array platform, adapted for rhesus macaques. 339,081 individual methylation sites were compared between newborn offspring of maltreated (n = 14, 8 female) and non-maltreated (n = 12, 5 female) mothers.
Results: We identified 409 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and 7 differentially methylated regions associated with the cross-generational impact of infant maltreatment. A subsequent pathway enrichment analysis revealed 78 enriched pathways. Neonatal blood cortisol levels were significantly lower in animals with a maltreated mother (maltreated n = 13, 7 female; control n = 9, 4 female). Out of the 409 DMPs, 46 showed an association with blood cortisol levels, of which 19 were found to potentially mediate the association between ancestral infant maltreatment and decreased blood cortisol levels. Finally, 137 of the DMPs were associated with a human trait in the EWAS Atlas, including child abuse and glucocorticoid exposure.
Conclusions: These findings provide a deeper insight into the role of epigenetic alterations across generations after environmental insults and how this may impact the development of phenotypic alterations in offspring of maltreatment exposed individuals.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.02.901 | DOI Listing |
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFA cross-generational methylomic signature of infant maltreatment in newborn rhesus macaques.
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March 2025
University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, von Siebold Strasse 5, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, 02478. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- The study explores how early life adversity (ELA), such as physical maltreatment and neglect, affects health across generations, suggesting that changes in gene expression (epigenetics) play a role.
- Researchers used a primate model to analyze the DNA methylation patterns in baby rhesus macaques born to maltreated and non-maltreated mothers, finding significant differences in their genetic markers.
- The results indicate that these differences relate to lower stress hormone levels and have connections to traits like child abuse, highlighting the long-term impact of ELA on future generations.
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Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFChildren from minoritized racial and ethnic backgrounds are at a higher risk for exposure to trauma and violence because of longstanding structural inequities; yet, these children can experience resilience by drawing on assets and resources across multiple levels of the social and physical ecology. Guided by the Resilience Portfolio Model, this scoping review aimed to synthesize evidence from the quantitative and qualitative literature on strengths among minoritized racial and ethnic groups of children in the United States exposed to trauma, violence, and maltreatment. The review also explored similarities and differences in strengths across racial and ethnic groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfant Maltreatment Induces Early Alterations in Adrenal Glands and Stress Response in Juvenile Rat Offspring.
Neurochem Res
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Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología Traslacional, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Raúl Alfonsín S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, 2° Floor, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Chronic stressors, such as infant maltreatment during early development, can have long-lasting effects on an individual's health and stress-coping abilities across the lifespan. In this study, we applied the scarcity-adversity model (SAM) to Wistar rats from postnatal days (PND) 8 to 12 to evaluate the impact of scarcity condition on adrenal glands morphology and stress response in juvenile offspring (PND 21-35) of both sexes. Our results demonstrate that SAM exposure leads to significant alterations in the adrenal glands of offspring.
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