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Xiao J, Jain A, Bellia G, Nyhan K, Liew Z. A scoping review of multigenerational impacts of grandparental exposures on mental health in grandchildren. Curr Environ Health Rep 2023; 10:369-382. [PMID: 38008881 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-023-00413-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The multigenerational effects of grandparental exposures on their grandchildren's mental health and neurodevelopment are gaining research attention. We conducted a scoping review to summarize the current epidemiological studies investigating pregnancy-related and environmental factors that affected grandparental pregnancies and mental health outcomes in their grandchildren. We also identified methodological challenges that affect these multigenerational health studies and discuss opportunities for future research. RECENT FINDINGS We performed a literature search using PubMed and Embase and included 18 articles for this review. The most investigated grandparental pregnancy-related factors were the grandparental age of pregnancy (N = 6), smoking during pregnancy (N = 4), and medication intake (N = 3). The most frequently examined grandchild outcomes were autism spectrum disorder (N = 6) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (N = 4). Among these studies, grandparental smoking and the use of diethylstilbestrol were more consistently reported to be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, while the findings for grandparental age vary across the maternal or paternal line. Grandmaternal weight, adverse delivery outcomes, and other spatial-temporal markers of physical and social environmental stressors require further scrutiny. The current body of literature has suggested that mental and neurodevelopmental disorders may be outcomes of unfavorable exposures originating from the grandparental generation during their pregnancies. To advance the field, we recommend research efforts into setting up multigenerational studies with prospectively collected data that span through at least three generations, incorporating spatial, environmental, and biological markers for exposure assessment, expanding the outcome phenotypes evaluated, and developing a causal analytical framework including mediation analyses specific for multigenerational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyuan Xiao
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
- Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
| | - Anushka Jain
- Department of Social Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
| | - Giselle Bellia
- Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
| | - Kate Nyhan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
| | - Zeyan Liew
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA.
- Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA.
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Torres G, Mourad M, Iqbal S, Moses-Fynn E, Pandita A, Siddhartha SS, Sood RA, Srinivasan K, Subbaiah RT, Tiwari A, Leheste JR. Conceptualizing Epigenetics and the Environmental Landscape of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1734. [PMID: 37761876 PMCID: PMC10531442 DOI: 10.3390/genes14091734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex interactions between gene variants and environmental risk factors underlie the pathophysiological pathways in major psychiatric disorders. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neuropsychiatric condition in which susceptible alleles along with epigenetic states contribute to the mutational landscape of the ailing brain. The present work reviews recent evolutionary, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms potentially linked to the etiology of autism. First, we present a clinical vignette to describe clusters of maladaptive behaviors frequently diagnosed in autistic patients. Next, we microdissect brain regions pertinent to the nosology of autism, as well as cell networks from the bilateral body plan. Lastly, we catalog a number of pathogenic environments associated with disease risk factors. This set of perspectives provides emerging insights into the dynamic interplay between epigenetic and environmental variation in the development of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- German Torres
- Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Medaille College, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA;
| | - Mervat Mourad
- Department of Clinical Specialties, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA;
| | - Saba Iqbal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (S.I.); (E.M.-F.); (A.P.); (R.A.S.); (K.S.); (A.T.)
| | - Emmanuel Moses-Fynn
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (S.I.); (E.M.-F.); (A.P.); (R.A.S.); (K.S.); (A.T.)
| | - Ashani Pandita
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (S.I.); (E.M.-F.); (A.P.); (R.A.S.); (K.S.); (A.T.)
| | - Shriya S. Siddhartha
- Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA;
| | - Riya A. Sood
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (S.I.); (E.M.-F.); (A.P.); (R.A.S.); (K.S.); (A.T.)
| | - Kavya Srinivasan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (S.I.); (E.M.-F.); (A.P.); (R.A.S.); (K.S.); (A.T.)
| | - Riya T. Subbaiah
- Department of Arts and Sciences, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA;
| | - Alisha Tiwari
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (S.I.); (E.M.-F.); (A.P.); (R.A.S.); (K.S.); (A.T.)
| | - Joerg R. Leheste
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (S.I.); (E.M.-F.); (A.P.); (R.A.S.); (K.S.); (A.T.)
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Chu MC, Wu HF, Lee CW, Chung YJ, Chi H, Chen PS, Lin HC. Generational synaptic functions of GABA A receptor β3 subunit deteriorations in an animal model of social deficit. J Biomed Sci 2022; 29:51. [PMID: 35821032 PMCID: PMC9277936 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-022-00835-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disruption of normal brain development is implicated in numerous psychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental origins, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Widespread abnormalities in brain structure and functions caused by dysregulations of neurodevelopmental processes has been recently shown to exert adverse effects across generations. An imbalance between excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) transmission is the putative hypothesis of ASD pathogenesis, supporting by the specific implications of inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic system in autistic individuals and animal models of ASD. However, the contribution of GABAergic system in the neuropathophysiology across generations of ASD is still unknown. Here, we uncover profound alterations in the expression and function of GABAA receptors (GABAARs) in the amygdala across generations of the VPA-induced animal model of ASD. METHODS The F2 generation was produced by mating an F1 VPA-induced male offspring with naïve females after a single injection of VPA on embryonic day (E12.5) in F0. Autism-like behaviors were assessed by animal behavior tests. Expression and functional properties of GABAARs and related proteins were examined by using western blotting and electrophysiological techniques. RESULTS Social deficit, repetitive behavior, and emotional comorbidities were demonstrated across two generations of the VPA-induced offspring. Decreased synaptic GABAAR and gephyrin levels, and inhibitory transmission were found in the amygdala from two generations of the VPA-induced offspring with greater reductions in the F2 generation. Weaker association of gephyrin with GABAAR was shown in the F2 generation than the F1 generation. Moreover, dysregulated NMDA-induced enhancements of gephyrin and GABAAR at the synapse in the VPA-induced offspring was worsened in the F2 generation than the F1 generation. Elevated glutamatergic modifications were additionally shown across generations of the VPA-induced offspring without generation difference. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these findings revealed the E/I synaptic abnormalities in the amygdala from two generations of the VPA-induced offspring with GABAergic deteriorations in the F2 generation, suggesting a potential therapeutic role of the GABAergic system to generational pathophysiology of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Chia Chu
- grid.260539.b0000 0001 2059 7017Department and Institute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan, 112 Taiwan
| | - Han-Fang Wu
- grid.260539.b0000 0001 2059 7017Department and Institute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan, 112 Taiwan
| | - Chi-Wei Lee
- grid.260539.b0000 0001 2059 7017Department and Institute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan, 112 Taiwan
| | - Yueh-Jung Chung
- grid.260539.b0000 0001 2059 7017Department and Institute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan, 112 Taiwan
| | - Hsiang Chi
- grid.260539.b0000 0001 2059 7017Department and Institute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan, 112 Taiwan
| | - Po See Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 704, Taiwan. .,Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 704, Taiwan.
| | - Hui-Ching Lin
- Department and Institute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 112, Taiwan. .,Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research Institutes, Taipei, 110, Taiwan. .,Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 112, Taiwan.
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Tovo PA, Davico C, Marcotulli D, Vitiello B, Daprà V, Calvi C, Montanari P, Carpino A, Galliano I, Bergallo M. Enhanced Expression of Human Endogenous Retroviruses, TRIM28 and SETDB1 in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:5964. [PMID: 35682642 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23115964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are relics of ancestral infections and represent 8% of the human genome. They are no longer infectious, but their activation has been associated with several disorders, including neuropsychiatric conditions. Enhanced expression of HERV-K and HERV-H envelope genes has been found in the blood of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients, but no information is available on syncytin 1 (SYN1), SYN2, and multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus (MSRV), which are thought to be implicated in brain development and immune responses. HERV activation is regulated by TRIM28 and SETDB1, which are part of the epigenetic mechanisms that organize the chromatin architecture in response to external stimuli and are involved in neural cell differentiation and brain inflammation. We assessed, through a PCR realtime Taqman amplification assay, the transcription levels of pol genes of HERV-H, -K, and -W families, of env genes of SYN1, SYN2, and MSRV, as well as of TRIM28 and SETDB1 in the blood of 33 ASD children (28 males, median 3.8 years, 25–75% interquartile range 3.0–6.0 y) and healthy controls (HC). Significantly higher expressions of TRIM28 and SETDB1, as well as of all the HERV genes tested, except for HERV-W-pol, were found in ASD, as compared with HC. Positive correlations were observed between the mRNA levels of TRIM28 or SETDB1 and every HERV gene in ASD patients, but not in HC. Overexpression of TRIM28/SETDB1 and several HERVs in children with ASD and the positive correlations between their transcriptional levels suggest that these may be main players in pathogenetic mechanisms leading to ASD.
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