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Labaut L, Lage-Castellanos A, Rodrigo MJ, Herrero-Roldán S, Mitchell C, Fisher J, León I. Mother adversity and co-residence time impact mother-child similarity in genome-wide and gene-specific methylation profiles. Clin Epigenetics 2024; 16:44. [PMID: 38509601 PMCID: PMC10953278 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-024-01655-5] [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: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Labaut
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Campus de Guajara, Universidad de La Laguna, 38201, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Agustín Lage-Castellanos
- Department of NeuroInformatics, Cuban Center for Neuroscience, Havana, Cuba
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - María José Rodrigo
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Campus de Guajara, Universidad de La Laguna, 38201, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Silvia Herrero-Roldán
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Campus de Guajara, Universidad de La Laguna, 38201, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias Sociales Aplicadas y de la Comunicación, UNIE Universidad, Madrid, Spain
| | - Colter Mitchell
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Abor, MI, USA
| | - Jonah Fisher
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Abor, MI, USA
| | - Inmaculada León
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Campus de Guajara, Universidad de La Laguna, 38201, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain.
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Herrero-Roldán S, Rodrigo MJ, Hernández-Cabrera JA, Mitchell C, López M, Alcoba-Florez J, Fisher J, Espinosa F, León I. Reduction in Epigenetic Age Acceleration Is Related to Empathy in Mothers with Neglectful Caregiving. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11111376. [PMID: 34827375 PMCID: PMC8615407 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation clocks are used as molecular estimators of epigenetic age, but with little evidence in mothers and none in neglectful mothering. We investigated differences in epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) and the role of empathy using the PhenoAge clock. We collected saliva samples from mothers with extreme disregard for their child's needs (50 in the neglect group, NG) and mothers with non-neglectful caregiving (87 in the control group, CG). Mothers completed an empathy scale, along with questionnaires of their own childhood maltreatment, adverse life events and psychiatric disorders. Sociodemographic variables potentially affecting EAA were also measured. The ANCOVA solution showed a significant increase in EAA in the NG compared to the CG, after adjustment for maternal age, number of pregnancies, financial assistance, adverse events, childhood maltreatment and psychiatric disorder. The group interaction effects showed a reduction in EAA for greater empathic concern and for a higher education level both as positive factors, and an increment in EAA for mothers living in a two-parent family as a risk factor, all in the NG. Our findings open the search for protective factors of EAA associated with caregiver behavior to reduce health vulnerabilities and poor social functioning, especially for mothers at risk of maladaptive caregiving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Herrero-Roldán
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain; (S.H.-R.); (M.J.R.); (J.A.H.-C.); (F.E.)
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - María José Rodrigo
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain; (S.H.-R.); (M.J.R.); (J.A.H.-C.); (F.E.)
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Juan A. Hernández-Cabrera
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain; (S.H.-R.); (M.J.R.); (J.A.H.-C.); (F.E.)
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Colter Mitchell
- Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (C.M.); (J.F.)
- Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Maykel López
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland;
| | - Julia Alcoba-Florez
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, 38010 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain;
| | - Jonah Fisher
- Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (C.M.); (J.F.)
| | - Fernanda Espinosa
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain; (S.H.-R.); (M.J.R.); (J.A.H.-C.); (F.E.)
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Inmaculada León
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain; (S.H.-R.); (M.J.R.); (J.A.H.-C.); (F.E.)
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-9223-17506
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Herrero-Roldán S, Byrne S, Rodrigo MJ, Hernández-Cabrera JA, León I. Sesgos en la evaluación del llanto infantil en la negligencia materna: el papel de la alexitimia. R Est Inv Psico y Educ 2019. [DOI: 10.17979/reipe.2019.6.1.4982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Este estudio analiza en qué medida está alterada la evaluación subjetiva del llanto infantil en las madres con negligencia severa, y la posible influencia de la alexitimia en dicha alteración. Participaron 24 madres negligentes y 22 madres controles que evaluaron caras de niños/as y caras adultas (de llanto y neutras) según su valencia y la respuesta de aproximación que éstas elicitan. Los resultados indican que ambos grupos evalúan las caras infantiles como más agradables y con mayor respuesta de aproximación que las caras adultas. Se obtuvieron dos tipos de sesgos: 1) una valoración menos agradable de las caras neutras, similar a la del llanto, en los niveles altos de aleximitia característicos de las madres negligentes; y 2) una mayor respuesta de aproximación ante el llanto en las madres negligentes que no se explica por sus altos niveles de alexitimia, ya que éstos generan menos respuesta de aproximación. La resolución de estas disonancias debe ser un objetivo terapéutico de primer orden para avanzar en la promoción de sus capacidades y favorecer la preservación o la reunificación familiar.
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