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Associations Between Early Life Stress and Gene Methylation in Children
Author(s) -
Romens Sarah E.,
McDonald Jennifer,
Svaren John,
Pollak Seth D.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12270
Subject(s) - epigenetics , dna methylation , psychology , glucocorticoid receptor , gene , developmental psychology , genetics , gene expression , biology
Children exposed to extreme stress are at heightened risk for developing mental and physical disorders. However, little is known about mechanisms underlying these associations in humans. An emerging insight is that children's social environments change gene expression, which contributes to biological vulnerabilities for behavioral problems. Epigenetic changes in the glucocorticoid receptor gene, a critical component of stress regulation, were examined in whole blood from 56 children aged 11–14 years. Children exposed to physical maltreatment had greater methylation within exon 1 F in the NR 3C1 promoter region of the gene compared to nonmaltreated children, including the putative NGFI ‐A (nerve growth factor) binding site. These results highlight molecular mechanisms linking childhood stress with biological changes that may lead to mental and physical disorders.