The relationship of maternal and child methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor NR3C1 during early childhood and subsequent child psychopathology at school-age in the context of maternal interpersonal violence-related post-traumatic stress disorder

The neuroscientific basis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): From brain to treatment

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition resulting from exposure to traumatic events, marked by persistent psychological distress and impairment in daily functioning. Risk factors for PTSD include genetic predispositions, neurobiological factors, as well as psychosocial and environmental influences. Specific demographic groups, such as veterans, first responders, and individuals in high-risk environments, are more susceptible to developing the disorder. Despite growing research, there remain gaps in understanding the full pathophysiology of PTSD, and existing diagnostic methods and treatments are not universally effective, contributing to a significant public health burden. This chapter explores the pathophysiology of PTSD, focusing on its underlying mechanisms, associated risk factors, and high-risk populations. Biological biomarkers such as neuroimaging findings, hormonal imbalances, genetic predispositions, and physiological indicators are discussed in the context of their role in PTSD diagnosis and understanding. Both pharmacological treatments and non-pharmacological interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and mindfulness-based techniques, are reviewed for their effectiveness in symptom management. Further research is essential to advance individualized diagnostic techniques and optimize treatment strategies, ensuring more personalized care for PTSD patients.

Psychosocial and neurobiological aspects of the worldwide refugee crisis: From vulnerability to resilience

Anisman, H., Doubad, D., Asokumar, A. & Matheson, K. Psychosocial and neurobiological aspects of the worldwide refugee crisis: From vulnerability to resilience. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV, XXXX. Immigration occurs between countries either to obtain employment, for family reunification or to escape violence and other life-threatening conditions. Refugees and asylum seekers are often obligated to overcome a uniquely challenging set of circumstances prior to and during migration. Settlement following immigration may pose yet another set of stressors related to acculturation to the host country, as well as financial insecurity, discrimination, language barriers, and social isolation. Here we discuss the multiple consequences of immigration experiences, focusing on the health disturbances that frequently develop in adults and children. Aside from the psychosocial influences, immigration-related challenges may cause hormonal, inflammatory immune, and microbiota changes that favor psychological and physical illnesses. Some biological alterations are subject to modification by epigenetic changes, which have implications for intergenerational trauma transmission, as might disruptions in parenting behaviors and family dysfunction. Despite the hardships experienced, many immigrants and their families exhibit positive psychological adjustment after resettlement. We provide information to diminish the impacts associated with immigration and offer strength-based approaches that may foster resilience.

The Impact of Maternal Interpersonal Violent Trauma and Related Psychopathology on Child Outcomes and Intergenerational Transmission

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aims to outline some consequences that maternal history of trauma with and without related psychopathology, such as posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), can have on their children's development and functioning. It then addresses mechanisms through which intergenerational transmission of interpersonal violence (IPV) and related psychopathology may occur.

RECENT FINDINGS

Findings include the effects of maternal IPV experience and related psychopathology on child social-emotional and biologically-based outcomes. This includes increased developmental disturbances and child psychopathology, as well as physiological factors. Secondly, the review focuses on psychobiological mechanisms by which maternal experience of IPV and related psychopathology likely trigger intergenerational effects. Maternal IPV and related psychopathology can have a negative impact on several areas of their child's life including development, interactive behavior, psychopathology, and physiology. This transmission may partially be due to fetal and perinatal processes, genetic and epigenetic effects, and interactions with their parents.

Mother adversity and co-residence time impact mother-child similarity in genome-wide and gene-specific methylation profiles

BACKGROUND

The effects of adverse life events on physical and psychological health, with DNA methylation (DNAm) as a critical underlying mechanism, have been extensively studied. However, the epigenetic resemblance between mother and child in the context of neglectful caregiving, and whether it may be shaped by the emotional impact of maternal stressful events and the duration of co-residence (indexed by child age), remains unknown. The present study examined mother-child similarity in methylation profiles, considering the potential effect of mother adversity, mother empathy, neglect-control group, child age (an index of years of mother-child co-residence), and mother age. Using Illumina Epic arrays, we quantified DNAm in 115 mother-child saliva samples. We obtained a methylation similarity index by computing correlation coefficients between methylation profiles within dyads, for the entire epigenome, and five specific genes related to stress and empathy: NR3C1, FKPB5, OXTR, SCL6A4, and BDNF.

RESULTS

The methylation profiles of the mother-child familial pairs significantly correlated as compared to mother-child random pairs for the entire epigenome and NR3C1, FKBP5, OXTR and BDNF genes. Next, multiple linear regression models observed associations of mother adversity, child age, and neglect-control group on mother-child methylation similarity, only significant in mother-child familial pairs, after correcting for multiple comparisons. Higher mother adversity was associated with lower mother-child methylation similarity for the epigenome-wide analysis, for the BDNF gene, and in the neglect-control group for the OXTR gene. In turn, being an older child (longer co-residence) was associated with higher mother-child methylation similarity.

CONCLUSIONS

Mother adversity and co-residence time are modulating factors in the intergenerational methylation process that offer a window into development-dependent adaptations that can be affected by both hereditary and environmental factors, significantly observed only in biological dyads. A twofold implication for child well-being emerges, one is positive in that children of mothers exposed to life adversity or neglect did not necessarily inherit their methylation patterns. The other is concerning due to the influence of time spent living together, which affects similarity with the mother and potentially increases the risk of inheriting an epigenetic profile associated with future dysfunctional parenting patterns. This underscores the importance of the 'the earlier, the better' recommendation by the Child Protection System, which is not always followed.

[Research progress on the mechanism of the impact of maternal childhood trauma on intergenerational transmission]

Childhood trauma refers to trauma experiences encountered during childhood and adolescence. Maternal childhood trauma experiences have a lasting impact on the next generation, affecting their physical and mental well-being. The mechanisms involved include the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inflammatory factors, brain structure and function, gene interactions, and parenting styles. This paper systematically reviews the mechanisms of the impact of maternal childhood trauma on intergenerational transmission, providing insights for the prevention of intergenerational transmission of childhood trauma.

Epigenetic changes produced in women victims of intimate partner violence: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent form of violence against women that encompasses physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as controlling behaviors by intimate partners, and predisposes the victims to multiple diseases.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to identify epigenetic marks associated with IPV and the resultant stress experienced by victims.

DESIGN

This study is a systematic review conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. The review includes a comprehensive search and analysis of relevant literature to identify epigenetic changes associated with IPV.

DATA SOURCES AND METHODS

A systematic search was conducted across four databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest, using keywords related to IPV and epigenetics. The inclusion criteria were studies published in scientific journals with an experimental approach, focused on female survivors of gender-based violence, and providing information on epigenetic changes. The review included studies published up to June 15, 2024, with no time limits imposed, focusing on female victims of IPV. The inclusion criteria were studies published in scientific journals with an experimental approach, focused on female survivors of gender-based violence, and providing information on epigenetic changes.

RESULTS

The results revealed that epigenetic changes associated with IPV predominantly affect genes related to the glucocorticoid receptor, insulin-like growth factors, BDNF, and CPLX genes. These observations suggest that IPV is linked to significant epigenetic modifications in both victims and their offspring.

CONCLUSION

It is concluded that IPV is associated with epigenetic changes both in the woman and in her offspring. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the biological embedding of IPV through epigenetic research to better address the long-term health consequences for women. However, more studies are necessary to validate these results.

DAT1 5'-Un-Translated-Region Methylation Patterns as Bio-Markers of ADHD Psycho-Pathology: Contribution to Disease Prognosis and to Monitoring of a Successful Therapy

Epigenetic modifications, such as changes in DNA methylation, have been linked to several diseases in recent years. The purpose of our study was to search for biomarkers that (using non-invasive techniques) could assist the clinician in the prognosis of infant/adolescent psychopathology. We previously showed that changes in methylation of the 5'-UTR in the DAT1/SLC6A3 gene can be used as a biomarker for the prognosis of initial severe ADHD: treatment-resistant severe ADHD children were characterized by methylated CpG 1 in particular, while methylated CpGs 2 and 6 were then found in children who improved after the therapy. Further, we confirmed these outcomes and provided the hypothesis that symptomatology might be influenced by the children's genotype and family environment. In particular, levels of CpG 3 methylation in the heterozygous ADHD children were associated with high paternal own risk or stress. Eventually, we found that the same biomarkers are more broadly useful in the field of internalizing or externalizing symptoms (when a certain vulnerability is already present in the child). In particular, it was seen how inheriting specific 9-repeat or 10-repeat VNTR alleles from the mother or from the father could modify the pattern of methylation at the 5'-UTR of the DAT1 gene. A specific pattern of methylations (with CpG 2 following either CpGs 1 + 3 or CpG 6 at the DAT1 5'-UTR) has been associated, therefore, with the likelihood of an internalizing or externalizing developmental trajectory entailing ADHD-like psycho-pathological characteristics. Since each individual responds differently to a specific treatment, we suggest that these methylation patterns may be used as biomarkers to monitor the outcome and/or predict the success of a given therapy (personalized medicine).

Advances in the molecular neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder from global contexts: A systematic review of longitudinal studies

Trauma exposure is prevalent globally and is a defining event for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterised by intrusive thoughts, avoidance behaviours, hypervigilance and negative alterations in cognition and mood. Exposure to trauma elicits a range of physiological responses which can interact with environmental factors to confer relative risk or resilience for PTSD. This systematic review summarises the findings of longitudinal studies examining biological correlates predictive of PTSD symptomology. Databases (Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science) were systematically searched using relevant keywords for studies published between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2022. English language studies were included if they were original research manuscripts or meta-analyses of cohort investigations that assessed longitudinal relationships between one or more molecular-level measures and either PTSD status or symptoms. Eighteen of the 1,042 records identified were included. Studies primarily included military veterans/personnel, individuals admitted to hospitals after acute traumatic injury, and women exposed to interpersonal violence or rape. Genomic, inflammation and endocrine measures were the most commonly assessed molecular markers and highlighted processes related to inflammation, stress responding, and learning and memory. Quality assessments were done using the Systematic Appraisal of Quality in Observational Research, and the majority of studies were rated as being of high quality, with the remainder of moderate quality. Studies were predominantly conducted in upper-income countries. Those performed in low- and middle-income countries were not broadly representative in terms of demographic, trauma type and geographic profiles, with three out of the four studies conducted assessing only female participants, rape exposure and South Africa, respectively. They also did not generate multimodal data or use machine learning or multilevel modelling, potentially reflecting greater resource limitations in LMICs. Research examining molecular contributions to PTSD does not adequately reflect the global burden of the disorder.

Biological Embedding of Early-Life Adversity and a Scoping Review of the Evidence for Intergenerational Epigenetic Transmission of Stress and Trauma in Humans

Severe or chronic stress and trauma can have a detrimental impact on health. Evidence suggests that early-life adversity can become biologically embedded and has the potential to influence health outcomes decades later. Epigenetics is one mechanism that has been implicated in these long-lasting effects. Observational studies in humans indicate that the effects of stress could even persist across generations, although whether or not epigenetic mechanisms are involved remains under debate. Here, we provide an overview of studies in animals and humans that demonstrate the effects of early-life stress on DNA methylation, one of the most widely studied epigenetic mechanisms, and summarize findings from animal models demonstrating the involvement of epigenetics in the transmission of stress across generations. We then describe the results of a scoping review to determine the extent to which the terms intergenerational or transgenerational have been used in human studies investigating the transmission of trauma and stress via epigenetic mechanisms. We end with a discussion of key areas for future research to advance understanding of the role of epigenetics in the legacy effects of stress and trauma.