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Terracina S, Ferraguti G, Tarani L, Messina MP, Lucarelli M, Vitali M, De Persis S, Greco A, Minni A, Polimeni A, Ceccanti M, Petrella C, Fiore M. Transgenerational Abnormalities Induced by Paternal Preconceptual Alcohol Drinking: Findings from Humans and Animal Models. Curr Neuropharmacol 2022; 20:1158-1173. [PMID: 34720083 PMCID: PMC9886817 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x19666211101111430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and lactation is a widespread preventable cause of neurodevelopmental impairment in newborns. While the harmful effects of gestational alcohol use have been well documented, only recently, the role of paternal preconceptual alcohol consumption (PPAC) prior to copulating has drawn specific epigenetic considerations. Data from human and animal models have demonstrated that PPAC may affect sperm function, eliciting oxidative stress. In newborns, PPAC may induce changes in behavior, cognitive functions, and emotional responses. Furthermore, PPAC may elicit neurobiological disruptions, visuospatial impairments, hyperactivity disorders, motor skill disruptions, hearing loss, endocrine, and immune alterations, reduced physical growth, placental disruptions, and metabolic alterations. Neurobiological studies on PPAC have also disclosed changes in brain function and structure by disrupting the growth factors pathways. In particular, as shown in animal model studies, PPAC alters brain nerve growth factor (NGF) and brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) synthesis and release. This review shows that the crucial topic of lifelong disabilities induced by PPAC and/or gestational alcohol drinking is quite challenging at the individual, societal, and familial levels. Since a nontoxic drinking behavior before pregnancy (for both men and women), during pregnancy, and lactation cannot be established, the only suggestion for couples planning pregnancies is to completely avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Terracina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeItaly
| | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeItaly
| | - Luigi Tarani
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeItaly
| | | | | | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Minni
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Polimeni
- Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Ceccanti
- SITAC, Società Italiana per il Trattamento dell’Alcolismo e le sue Complicanze, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy,Address correspondence to this author at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy; E-mail:
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Mela M, Wall L, Buttinger P, DesRoches A, Wrath AJ. Rates and implications of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder among released offenders with mental disorder in Canada. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2022; 40:144-158. [PMID: 34984713 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is prevalent among individuals involved in the justice system. However, many of the characteristics of justice-involved individuals with FASD remain unknown. We assessed patients in a forensic mental health hospital (n = 26) for FASD before their release. The two objectives were to establish the prevalence of FASD in this unique environment and to describe the mental health and neurocognitive characteristics of individuals with FASD compared to patients with complex needs and those without FASD. The prevalence of FASD was 46%. We found the FASD group to have more than six impaired brain domains, greater than the other groups, and a higher prevalence of ADHD. Given the high prevalence of FASD reported in this study, along with the complexities and adversities associated with FASD and criminal justice involvement, this is a population that requires screening, assessment, and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansfield Mela
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Regional Psychiatric Centre, Correctional Services Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Linnea Wall
- Regional Psychiatric Centre, Correctional Services Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Pam Buttinger
- Regional Psychiatric Centre, Correctional Services Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Andrea DesRoches
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Andrew J Wrath
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Rutkowska J, Lagisz M, Bonduriansky R, Nakagawa S. Mapping the past, present and future research landscape of paternal effects. BMC Biol 2020; 18:183. [PMID: 33246472 PMCID: PMC7694421 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00892-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although in all sexually reproducing organisms an individual has a mother and a father, non-genetic inheritance has been predominantly studied in mothers. Paternal effects have been far less frequently studied, until recently. In the last 5 years, research on environmentally induced paternal effects has grown rapidly in the number of publications and diversity of topics. Here, we provide an overview of this field using synthesis of evidence (systematic map) and influence (bibliometric analyses). RESULTS We find that motivations for studies into paternal effects are diverse. For example, from the ecological and evolutionary perspective, paternal effects are of interest as facilitators of response to environmental change and mediators of extended heredity. Medical researchers track how paternal pre-fertilization exposures to factors, such as diet or trauma, influence offspring health. Toxicologists look at the effects of toxins. We compare how these three research guilds design experiments in relation to objects of their studies: fathers, mothers and offspring. We highlight examples of research gaps, which, in turn, lead to future avenues of research. CONCLUSIONS The literature on paternal effects is large and disparate. Our study helps in fostering connections between areas of knowledge that develop in parallel, but which could benefit from the lateral transfer of concepts and methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Rutkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Chastain LG, Sarkar DK. Alcohol effects on the epigenome in the germline: Role in the inheritance of alcohol-related pathology. Alcohol 2017; 60:53-66. [PMID: 28431793 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Revised: 12/04/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Excessive alcohol exposure has severe health consequences, and clinical and animal studies have demonstrated that disruptions in the epigenome of somatic cells, such as those in brain, are an important factor in the development of alcohol-related pathologies, such as alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). It is also well known that alcohol-related health problems are passed down across generations in human populations, but the complete mechanisms for this phenomenon are currently unknown. Recent studies in animal models have suggested that epigenetic factors are also responsible for the transmission of alcohol-related pathologies across generations. Alcohol exposure has been shown to induce changes in the epigenome of sperm of exposed male animals, and these epimutations are inherited in the offspring. This paper reviews evidence for multigenerational and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of alcohol-related pathology through the germline. We also review the literature on the epigenetic effects of alcohol exposure on somatic cells in brain, and its contribution to AUDs and FASDs. We note gaps in knowledge in this field, such as the lack of clinical studies in human populations and the lack of data on epigenetic inheritance via the female germline, and we suggest future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy G Chastain
- The Endocrine Program, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 67 Poultry Lane, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Dipak K Sarkar
- The Endocrine Program, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 67 Poultry Lane, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
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Dysregulation of the cortisol diurnal rhythm following prenatal alcohol exposure and early life adversity. Alcohol 2016; 53:9-18. [PMID: 27286932 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Revised: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is impacted by a multitude of pre- and postnatal factors. Developmental programming of HPA axis function by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been demonstrated in animal models and in human infants, but remains understudied in older children and adolescents. Moreover, early life adversity (ELA), which occurs at higher rates in children with PAE than in non-exposed children, may also play a role in programming the stress response system. In a cohort of children and adolescents with PAE and ELA (PAE + ELA), we evaluated HPA function through assessment of diurnal cortisol activity compared to that in typically developing controls, as well as the associations among specific ELAs, adverse outcomes, protective factors, and diurnal cortisol. Morning and evening saliva samples were taken under basal conditions from 42 children and adolescents (5-18 years) with PAE + ELA and 43 typically developing controls. High rates of ELA were shown among children with PAE, and significantly higher evening cortisol levels and a flatter diurnal slope were observed in children with PAE + ELA, compared to controls. Medication use in the PAE + ELA group was associated with lower morning cortisol levels, which were comparable to controls. Complex associations were found among diurnal cortisol patterns in the PAE + ELA group and a number of ELAs and later adverse outcomes, whereas protective factors were associated with more typical diurnal rhythms. These results complement findings from research on human infants and animal models showing dysregulated HPA function following PAE, lending weight to the suggestion that PAE and ELA may interact to sensitize the developing HPA axis. The presence of protective factors may buffer altered cortisol regulation, underscoring the importance of early assessment and interventions for children with FASD, and in particular, for the many children with FASD who also have ELA.
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Tunc-Ozcan E, Harper KM, Graf EN, Redei EE. Thyroxine administration prevents matrilineal intergenerational consequences of in utero ethanol exposure in rats. Horm Behav 2016; 82:1-10. [PMID: 27090562 PMCID: PMC4902747 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The neurodevelopmental fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is characterized by cognitive and behavioral deficits in the offspring. Conferring the deficits to the next generation would increase overall FASD disease burden and prevention of this transmission could be highly significant. Prior studies showed the reversal of these behavioral deficits by low dose thyroxine (T4) supplementation to the ethanol-consuming mothers. Here we aim to identify whether prenatal ethanol (PE) exposure impairs hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in the second-generation (F2) progeny, and whether T4 administration to the ethanol-consuming dam can prevent it. Sprague-Dawley (S) dams received control diets (ad libitum and nutritional control) or ethanol containing liquid diet with and without simultaneous T4 (0.3mg/L diet) administration. Their offspring (SS F1) were mated with naive Brown Norway (B) males and females generating the SB F2 and BS F2 progeny. Hippocampus-dependent contextual fear memory and hippocampal expression of the thyroid hormone-regulated type 3 deiodinase, (Dio3) and neurogranin (Nrgn) were assessed. SS F1 PE-exposed females and their SB F2 progeny exhibited fear memory deficits. T4 administration to the mothers of F1 females reversed these deficits. Although SS F1 PE-exposed males also experienced fear memory deficit, this was neither transmitted to their BS F2 offspring nor reversed by prenatal T4 treatment. Hippocampal Dio3 and Nrgn expression showed similar pattern of changes. Grandmaternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy affects fear memory of the matrilineal second-generation progeny. Low dose T4 supplementation prevents this process likely via altering allele-specific and total expression of Dio3 in the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elif Tunc-Ozcan
- The Asher Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Kathryn M Harper
- The Asher Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Evan N Graf
- The Asher Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Eva E Redei
- The Asher Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.
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Mason S, Zhou FC. Editorial: Genetics and epigenetics of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Front Genet 2015; 6:146. [PMID: 25932031 PMCID: PMC4399412 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Mason
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Feng C Zhou
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN, USA ; Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN, USA ; Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN, USA ; Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN, USA
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