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Nie Z, Xie X, Kang L, Wang W, Xu S, Chen M, Yao L, Gong Q, Zhou E, Li M, Wang H, Bu L, Liu Z. A Cross-Sectional Study: Structural and Related Functional Connectivity Changes in the Brain: Stigmata of Adverse Parenting in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder? Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13040694. [PMID: 37190659 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13040694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: There is a high correlation between the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as adverse parenting (AP). While there appears to be an association between ACEs and changes in brain structure and function, there have yet to be multimodal neuroimaging studies of associations between parenting style and brain developmental changes in MDD patients. To explore the effect of AP on brain structure and function. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 125 MDD outpatients were included in the study and divided into the AP group and the optimal parenting (OP) group. Participants completed self-rating scales to assess depressive severity, symptoms, and their parents' styles. They also completed magnetic resonance imaging within one week of filling out the instruments. The differences between groups of gender, educational level, and medications were analyzed using the chi-squared test and those of age, duration of illness, and scores on scales using the independent samples t-test. Differences in gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) were assessed between groups. Results: AP was associated with a significant increase in GMV in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) and FC between the right SPL and the bilateral medial superior frontal cortex in MDD patients. Limitations: The cross-cultural characteristics of AP will result in the lack of generalizability of the findings. Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that AP during childhood may imprint the brain and affect depressive symptoms in adulthood. Parents should pay attention to the parenting style and avoid a style that lacks warmth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaowen Nie
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Xinhui Xie
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Lijun Kang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Shuxian Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Mianmian Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Lihua Yao
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Qian Gong
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Enqi Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Meng Li
- PET/CT/MRI and Molecular Imaging Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Huiling Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Lihong Bu
- PET/CT/MRI and Molecular Imaging Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Zhongchun Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
- Taikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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Chen L, Du H, Zilioli S, Zhao S, Chi P. Effects of parental care and overprotection on adolescents' diurnal cortisol profiles. Horm Behav 2022; 140:105121. [PMID: 35081488 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Parental bonding is a strong determinant of children's health. One of the proposed pathways through which parenting impacts children's health is by altering the functioning of stress response systems. The current study aims to investigate the associations between two types of parental bonding (care and overprotection) and functioning of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (i.e., diurnal cortisol secretion) in a sample of 255 healthy adolescents (46.3% girls; aged 11-14 years). Participants completed the Parental Bonding Instrument and provided eight cortisol samples across two consecutive days to assess patterns of diurnal cortisol secretion. Multilevel modeling and multiple linear regression were utilized to test the main effects and interactive effects of parental care and overprotection on adolescents' wakeup cortisol, cortisol awakening response, cortisol slope, and total cortisol secretion. Results showed that parental care was associated with higher cortisol levels at awakening, while parental overprotection was associated with lower cortisol levels at awakening. Parental overprotection, but not parental care, was associated with flatter cortisol slopes. No interactive effects between parental care and overprotection on cortisol parameters emerged. The current findings add to the existing literature on parenting behavior and HPA functioning by showing that parental care and overprotection differently regulated daily cortisol parameters implicated in health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Chen
- Higher Education Research Institute, Shantou University, China; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, China
| | - Hongfei Du
- Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, China
| | - Samuele Zilioli
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, United States of America; Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, United States of America
| | - Shan Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China
| | - Peilian Chi
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, China; Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, University of Macau, China.
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3
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Dynamic DNA methylation changes in early versus late adulthood suggest nondeterministic effects of childhood adversity: a meta-analysis. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2020; 12:768-779. [PMID: 33308369 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174420001075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with a high risk of developing chronic diseases and decreased life expectancy, but no ACE epigenetic biomarkers have been identified until now. The latter may result from the interaction of multiple factors such as age, sex, degree of adversity, and lack of transcriptional effects of DNA methylation changes. We hypothesize that DNA methylation changes are related to childhood adversity levels and current age, and these markers evolve as aging proceeds. Two Gene Expression Omnibus datasets, regarding ACE, were selected (GSE72680 and GSE70603), considering raw- and meta-data availability, including validated ACE index (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) score). For DNA methylation, analyzed probes were restricted to those laying within promoters and first exons, and samples were grouped by CTQ scores terciles, to compare highly (ACE) with non-abused (control) cases. Comparison of control and ACE methylome profile did not retrieve differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCs) after correcting by false discovery rate < 0.05, and this was also observed when samples were separated by sex. In contrast, grouping by decade age ranges (i.e., the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s) showed a progressive increase in the number of DMCs and the intensity of changes, mainly related with hypomethylation. Comparison with transcriptome data for ACE subjects in the 40s, and 50s showed a similar age-dependent effect. This study provides evidence that epigenetic markers of ACE are age-dependent, but not defined in the long term. These differences among early, middle, and late adulthood epigenomic profiles suggest a window for interventions aimed to prevent the detrimental effects of ACE.
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4
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Blankenship SL, Botdorf M, Riggins T, Dougherty LR. Lasting effects of stress physiology on the brain: Cortisol reactivity during preschool predicts hippocampal functional connectivity at school age. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 40:100736. [PMID: 31770714 PMCID: PMC6974891 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prolonged exposure to glucocorticoid stress hormones, such as cortisol in humans, has been associated with structural and functional changes in the hippocampus. The majority of research demonstrating these associations in humans has been conducted in adult, clinical, or severely maltreated populations, with little research investigating these effects in young or more typically developing populations. The present study sought to address this gap by investigating longitudinal associations between preschool (3−5 years) and concurrent (5–9 years) cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor and hippocampal functional connectivity during a passive viewing fMRI scan. Results showed that, after controlling for concurrent cortisol reactivity, greater total cortisol release in response to a stressor during preschool predicted increased anterior and posterior hippocampal connectivity with the precuneus and cingulate gyrus at school-age. These findings are consistent with literature from adult and non-human investigations and suggest lasting impacts of early stress physiology on the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Blankenship
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Morgan Botdorf
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Tracy Riggins
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Lea R Dougherty
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
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5
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Ullmann E, Licinio J, Perry SW, White LO, Klein AM, Barthel A, Petrowski K, Stalder T, Oratovski B, von Klitzing K, Bornstein SR, Kirschbaum C. Inherited anxiety-related parent-infant dyads alter LHPA activity. Stress 2019; 22:27-35. [PMID: 30424700 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2018.1494151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is incompletely understood. We hypothesize that disruptions in mother-child relations may be a key contributor to development of PTSD. A normal and healthy separation-individuation process requires adaptations of self- and interactive contingency in both the mother and her child, especially in early childhood development. Anxious mothers are prone to overprotection, which may hinder the individuation process in their children. We examined long-term stress hormones and other stress markers in subjects three generations removed from the Holocaust, to assess the long-term consequences of inherited behavioral and physiological responses to prior stress and trauma. Jewish subjects who recalled overprotective parental behavior had higher hairsteroid-concentrations and dampened limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis reactivity compared to German and Russian-German subjects with overprotective parents. We suggest that altered LHPA axis activity in maternally overprotected Jewish subjects may indicate a transmitted pathomechanism of "frustrated individuation" resulting from cross-generational anti-Semitic experiences. Thus measurements of hairsteroid-concentrations and parenting practices may have clinical value for diagnosis of PTSD. We propose that this apparent inherited adaptivity of LHPA axis activity could promote higher individual stress resistance, albeit with risk of an allostatic overload.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Ullmann
- a Department of Medicine , Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
- b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
| | - J Licinio
- c College of Medicine , SUNY Upstate Medical University , New York , NY, USA
| | - S W Perry
- c College of Medicine , SUNY Upstate Medical University , New York , NY, USA
| | - L O White
- b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
| | - A M Klein
- b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
- d International Psychoanalytic University Berlin , Berlin, Germany
| | - A Barthel
- a Department of Medicine , Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
- e Medicover , Bochum , Germany
| | - K Petrowski
- f Department of Psychology , University of Witten/Herdecke , Witten/Herdecke , Germany
| | - T Stalder
- g Department of Psychology , Biopsychology, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
- h Department of Developmental Psychology , University of Siegen , Siegen , Germany
| | - B Oratovski
- a Department of Medicine , Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
| | - K von Klitzing
- b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
| | - S R Bornstein
- a Department of Medicine , Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
- i Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes , Kings College London , London , UK
| | - C Kirschbaum
- g Department of Psychology , Biopsychology, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
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6
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Attachment style: The neurobiological substrate, interaction with genetics and role in neurodevelopmental disorders risk pathways. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 95:515-527. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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7
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Blankenship SL, Chad-Friedman E, Riggins T, Dougherty LR. Early parenting predicts hippocampal subregion volume via stress reactivity in childhood. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 61:125-140. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tracy Riggins
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland; College Park Maryland
| | - Lea R. Dougherty
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland; College Park Maryland
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8
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Design, rationale and feasibility of a multidimensional experimental protocol to study early life stress. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2018; 7:33-43. [PMID: 29696166 PMCID: PMC5898516 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2017.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a rapidly accumulating body of evidence regarding the influential role of early life stress (ELS) upon medical and psychiatric conditions. While self-report instruments, with their intrinsic limitations of recall, remain the primary means of detecting ELS in humans, biological measures are generally limited to a single biological system. This paper describes the design, rationale and feasibility of a study to simultaneously measure neuroendocrine, immune and autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses to psychological and physiological stressors in relation to ELS. Five healthy university students were recruited by advertisement. Exclusion criteria included chronic medical conditions, psychotic disorders, needle phobia, inability to tolerate pain, and those using anti-inflammatory medications. They were clinically interviewed and physiological recordings made over a two-hour period pre, during and post two acute stressors: the cold pressor test and recalling a distressing memory. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Parental Bonding Index were utilised to measure ELS. Other psychological measures of mood and personality were also administered. Measurements of heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, skin conductance, skin blood flow and temporal plasma samples were successfully obtained before, during and after acute stress. Participants reported the extensive psychological and multisystem physiological data collection and stress provocations were tolerable. Most (4/5) participants indicated a willingness to return to repeat the protocol, indicating acceptability. Our protocol is viable and safe in young physically healthy adults and allows us to assess simultaneously neuroendocrine, immune and autonomic nervous system responses to stressors in persons assessed for ELS.
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Key Words
- ANS, Autonomic nervous system
- Adverse-childhood-events
- CPT, Cold pressor test
- CTQ, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire
- Childhood-stress
- Childhood-trauma questionnaire
- DASS, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale
- DS14, Type D Scale
- ECG, lectrocardiogram
- ELS, Early life stress
- EPQRs, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised – short form
- HPA, Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
- PBI, Parental Bonding Instrument
- PTSD, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Parental-bonding-instrument
- RDM, Recall of distressing memory
- Type D scale (DS14)
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9
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Sasabayashi D, Takayanagi Y, Takahashi T, Koike S, Yamasue H, Katagiri N, Sakuma A, Obara C, Nakamura M, Furuichi A, Kido M, Nishikawa Y, Noguchi K, Matsumoto K, Mizuno M, Kasai K, Suzuki M. Increased Occipital Gyrification and Development of Psychotic Disorders in Individuals With an At-Risk Mental State: A Multicenter Study. Biol Psychiatry 2017; 82:737-745. [PMID: 28709499 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Revised: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anomalies of brain gyrification have been reported in schizophrenia, possibly reflecting its neurodevelopmental pathology. However, it remains elusive whether individuals at risk for psychotic disorders exhibit deviated gyrification patterns, and whether such findings, if present, are predictive of transition to psychotic disorders. METHODS This multicenter magnetic resonance imaging study investigated brain gyrification and its relationship to later transition to psychotic disorders in a large sample of at-risk mental state (ARMS) individuals. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 104 ARMS individuals, of whom 21 (20.2%) exhibited the transition to psychotic disorders during clinical follow-up (mean = 4.9 years, SD = 2.6 years), and 104 healthy control subjects at 4 different sites. The local gyrification index (LGI) of the entire cortex was compared across the groups using FreeSurfer software. RESULTS Compared with the control subjects, ARMS individuals showed a significantly higher LGI in widespread cortical areas, including the bilateral frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital regions, which was partly associated with prodromal symptomatology. ARMS individuals who exhibited the transition to psychotic disorders showed a significantly higher LGI in the left occipital region compared with individuals without transition. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggested that increased LGI in diverse cortical regions might represent vulnerability to psychopathology, while increased LGI in the left occipital cortex might be related to subsequent manifestation of florid psychotic disorders as a possible surrogate marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiki Sasabayashi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan.
| | - Yoichiro Takayanagi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Takahashi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hidenori Yamasue
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Katagiri
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sakuma
- Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
| | - Chika Obara
- Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
| | - Mihoko Nakamura
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan
| | - Atsushi Furuichi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan
| | - Mikio Kido
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan
| | - Yumiko Nishikawa
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan
| | - Kyo Noguchi
- Department of Radiology, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan
| | - Kazunori Matsumoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Masafumi Mizuno
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kiyoto Kasai
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michio Suzuki
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan
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10
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Ullmann E, Licinio J, Barthel A, Petrowski K, Stalder T, Bornstein SR, Kirschbaum C. Persistent LHPA Activation in German Individuals Raised in an Overprotective Parental Behavior. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2778. [PMID: 28584276 PMCID: PMC5459846 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01718-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental upbringing may affect their offspring’s mental state across the entire lifespan. Overprotective parental child-rearing style may increase the disease burden in the offspring. Furthermore, this child-rearing style may also play a pathogenetic role by transmitting trauma- and stressor-related disorders (TSRD) across generations. Studies with animals have demonstrated that the mother’s immediate and expansive protection of the newborn decreases the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis activity in the offspring. However, few studies have investigated how stress impact humans raised in an overprotective manner. In a cross-sectional study with 40 healthy students recalling their overprotective upbringing, we show an increase in the dehydroepiandrostendione (DHEA) concentration and a reduction in the cortisol/DHEA-ratio in hair. Additionally, this child rearing style was associated with heightened indications of mental burden, depressiveness, and sense of coherence. Our results provide insight into the roots and consequences of psychological trauma across several generations. Further investigations focusing particularly on multigenerational transmission in extremely burdened families will augment our results.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Ullmann
- Department of Medicine, TU Dresden, Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany. .,Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - J Licinio
- Mind and Brain Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia.,Department of Psychiatry, Flinders University, School of Medicine, Adelaide, Australia.,South Ural State University, Biomedical School, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation
| | - A Barthel
- Department of Medicine, TU Dresden, Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.,Medicover, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - T Stalder
- Department of Psychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Clinical Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
| | - S R Bornstein
- Department of Medicine, TU Dresden, Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.,Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Rayne Institute, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - C Kirschbaum
- Department of Psychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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11
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Bernier A, Calkins SD, Bell MA. Longitudinal Associations Between the Quality of Mother-Infant Interactions and Brain Development Across Infancy. Child Dev 2016; 87:1159-74. [PMID: 27040719 PMCID: PMC4939105 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate if normative variations in parenting relate to brain development among typically developing children. A sample of 352 mother-infant dyads came to the laboratory when infants were 5, 10, and 24 months of age (final N = 215). At each visit, child resting electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Mother-infant interactions were videotaped at the 5-month visit. The results indicated that higher quality maternal behavior during mother-infant interactions predicted higher frontal resting EEG power at 10 and 24 months, as well as increases in power between 5 and 10 months, and between 10 and 24 months. These findings provide rare support for the hypothesis that normative variation in parenting quality may contribute to brain development among typically developing infants.
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12
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Rifkin-Graboi A, Kong L, Sim LW, Sanmugam S, Broekman BFP, Chen H, Wong E, Kwek K, Saw SM, Chong YS, Gluckman PD, Fortier MV, Pederson D, Meaney MJ, Qiu A. Maternal sensitivity, infant limbic structure volume and functional connectivity: a preliminary study. Transl Psychiatry 2015; 5:e668. [PMID: 26506054 PMCID: PMC4930120 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms underlying the profound parental effects on cognitive, emotional and social development in humans remain poorly understood. Studies with nonhuman models suggest variations in parental care affect the limbic system, influential to learning, autobiography and emotional regulation. In some research, nonoptimal care relates to decreases in neurogenesis, although other work suggests early-postnatal social adversity accelerates the maturation of limbic structures associated with emotional learning. We explored whether maternal sensitivity predicts human limbic system development and functional connectivity patterns in a small sample of human infants. When infants were 6 months of age, 20 mother-infant dyads attended a laboratory-based observational session and the infants underwent neuroimaging at the same age. After considering age at imaging, household income and postnatal maternal anxiety, regression analyses demonstrated significant indirect associations between maternal sensitivity and bilateral hippocampal volume at six months, with the majority of associations between sensitivity and the amygdala demonstrating similar indirect, but not significant results. Moreover, functional analyses revealed direct associations between maternal sensitivity and connectivity between the hippocampus and areas important for emotional regulation and socio-emotional functioning. Sensitivity additionally predicted indirect associations between limbic structures and regions related to autobiographical memory. Our volumetric results are consistent with research indicating accelerated limbic development in response to early social adversity, and in combination with our functional results, if replicated in a larger sample, may suggest that subtle, but important, variations in maternal care influence neuroanatomical trajectories important to future cognitive and emotional functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rifkin-Graboi
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore. E-mail:
| | - L Kong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - L W Sim
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - S Sanmugam
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - B F P Broekman
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - H Chen
- Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - E Wong
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - K Kwek
- Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - S-M Saw
- Department of Epidemiology, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Y-S Chong
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - P D Gluckman
- Human Development, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - M V Fortier
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - D Pederson
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - M J Meaney
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Neurosciences, Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada,Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - A Qiu
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Biomedical Engineering and Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Block EA #03-12, Singapore 117576, Singapore. E-mail:
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13
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Early-life experience, epigenetics, and the developing brain. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:141-53. [PMID: 24917200 PMCID: PMC4262891 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Development is a dynamic process that involves interplay between genes and the environment. In mammals, the quality of the postnatal environment is shaped by parent-offspring interactions that promote growth and survival and can lead to divergent developmental trajectories with implications for later-life neurobiological and behavioral characteristics. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic factors (ie, DNA methylation, posttranslational histone modifications, and small non-coding RNAs) may have a critical role in these parental care effects. Although this evidence is drawn primarily from rodent studies, there is increasing support for these effects in humans. Through these molecular mechanisms, variation in risk of psychopathology may emerge, particularly as a consequence of early-life neglect and abuse. Here we will highlight evidence of dynamic epigenetic changes in the developing brain in response to variation in the quality of postnatal parent-offspring interactions. The recruitment of epigenetic pathways for the biological embedding of early-life experience may also have transgenerational consequences and we will describe and contrast two routes through which this transmission can occur: experience dependent vs germline inheritance. Finally, we will speculate regarding the future directions of epigenetic research and how it can help us gain a better understanding of the developmental origins of psychiatric dysfunction.
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Ota M, Hori H, Sato N, Sasayama D, Hattori K, Teraishi T, Obu S, Nakata Y, Kunugi H. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity and brain differences in healthy women. Neuropsychobiology 2014; 68:205-11. [PMID: 24192527 DOI: 10.1159/000355298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have suggested that dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leads to brain changes. However, few studies have examined the whole brain configuration for an association with HPA axis activity. We examined the relationship between HPA axis activity and the whole brain configuration. METHODS The subjects in this study were 34 healthy female volunteers. HPA axis activity was assessed by the dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone test. Structural volumes of the brain and diffusion tensor images were obtained, and correlations were evaluated voxel-wise. RESULTS There was a significantly negative correlation between fractional anisotropy value and cortisol levels at 16:00 h (CL-2) in the anterior cingulum, left parahippocampus and right occipital region. There were significantly positive correlations between mean diffusivity value and CL-2 in the left hippocampus and bilateral parahippocampal regions. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that reduced feedback of the HPA axis is associated with reduced neural connectivity throughout the brain, and such an association may be strong in the anterior cingulate, the hippocampus and the parahippocampal regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Ota
- Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
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15
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Bos PA, Montoya ER, Terburg D, van Honk J. Cortisol administration increases hippocampal activation to infant crying in males depending on childhood neglect. Hum Brain Mapp 2014; 35:5116-26. [PMID: 24757127 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Revised: 04/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal studies show that exposure to parental neglect alters stress regulation and can lead to neural hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity in response to cortisol, most pronounced in the hippocampus. Cortisol, the end product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, has also been related to parenting more directly, for example, in both sexes, cortisol levels increase when listening to infants crying, possibly to activate and facilitate effective care behavior. Severe trauma is known to negatively affect the HPA-axis in humans; however, it is unknown whether normal variation in parental care in the healthy population can alter sensitivity of the hippocampus to cortisol. Here, we investigate whether variation in experienced neglect changes neural sensitivity to cortisol when humans listen to infant crying, which is an unequivocal signal relevant for care behavior. In a placebo-controlled, within-subject neuroimaging study, we administered 40 mg cortisol to 21 healthy young males without children and used a validated task for measuring neural responses to infant crying. The Dutch version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was used to index participants' early exposure to abuse and neglect. The data show that cortisol markedly increased hippocampal activation toward crying infants, and this effect varied significantly with parental neglect, even in our nonclinical subject sample. Without exposure to severe trauma or neglect, reduced self-experienced quality of parental care in the normal range already substantially increased hippocampal responsivity to cortisol. Altered hippocampal sensitivity to cortisol might be a cross-species marker for the risk of developing later life psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Bos
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
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