Adverse Life Events and Allele-Specific Methylation of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (SLC6A4) in Adolescents

Knaap, Lisette J. van der; Riese, Harriëtte; Hudziak, James J.; Verbiest, Michaël; Verhulst, Frank C.; Oldehinkel, Albertine J.; Oort, Floor V. A. van

doi:10.1097/psy.0000000000000159

Cited by 45 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 48 publications

(67 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Swartz et al found that of all the environmental variables tested, only lower SES at the first wave of the study predicted greater increases in SLC6A4 DNA methylation at wave 2. Other recent work has identified childhood maltreatment and SLEs to be associated with differential 5mC in this gene; however, it should be noted that these earlier studies focused largely on physical and sexual abuse, rather than emotional neglect, as tested in this study, and that objective ratings of SLEs were used as the predictor of interest, rather than subjective ratings as is frequently used in related work. Swartz et al's findings are in line with emerging work that has begun to demonstrate associations between low SES and higher 5mC in the SLC6A4 promoter region , although these previous findings have often been specific to subgroups within larger samples.…”

Section: Low Ses Uniquely Predicts Greater Slc6a4 Methylation Change supporting

confidence: 59%

“…Honing in on a particular gene that has previously been associated with differential stress reactivity and early life adversity – the serotonin transporter promoter ( SLC6A4 ) – they tested whether exposure to a number of environmental risk factors was associated with differential changes in 5mC in the promoter region, a gene region that serves to modulate gene function, including within this locus . Environmental risk factors of interest included emotional neglect during childhood, stressful life events (SLEs) during the prior year, and low SES, all of which had shown associations with differential SLC6A4 5mC in previous cross‐sectional studies . They further tested whether the extent of 5mC change was associated with a brain‐level indicator of differential risk of depression, specifically changes in threat‐related amygdala reactivity, which had been previously associated with depression risk in cross‐sectional studies and with age‐related changes in reactivity in the absence of depression in the authors’ prior work .…”

Section: Can Elevated Premorbid Risk Of Depression Be Indexed By Epigmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Adolescent depression linked to socioeconomic status? Molecular approaches for revealing premorbid risk factors

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The means by which social environmental exposures influence risk of mental disorders is a persistent and still open question. A key candidate mechanism for the biologic mediation of environmental effects involves epigenetic factors, which regulate gene function without altering underlying DNA sequence. Recent work has shown that environmental exposures such as childhood abuse, family history of mental disorder, and low socioeconomic status (SES) associate with differential DNA methylation (5mC) - a relatively stable, but modifiable, epigenetic factor. However, the longitudinal relation among SES, 5mC, brain function, and risk of depression remains to be elucidated. Here, we briefly review literature relevant to these associations and discuss recent findings that, for the first time, prospectively demonstrate sequential links between low SES, changes in 5mC, changes in brain function, and risk of depression in a cohort of adolescents.

show abstract

Section: Low Ses Uniquely Predicts Greater Slc6a4 Methylation Change supporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Can Elevated Premorbid Risk Of Depression Be Indexed By Epigmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent depression linked to socioeconomic status? Molecular approaches for revealing premorbid risk factors

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…All that granted, Van der Knaap et al (2014) demonstrate a higher level of serotonin transporter gene methylation after stressful life events in adolescents, with a more pronounced association for stressful events during adolescence than during childhood.…”

Section: Biological Consequences Of Parental Loss and Other Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 90%

New approaches to divorce with children: A problem of public health

Vezzetti

2016

Health Psychology Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This broad review elaborates on the most up-to-date knowledge on biochemical and psychobiological aspects of parental loss and other childhood adversities during divorce involving minor children. So far, divorce involving minor children was unfortunately considered by authorities only as a purely juridical problem, and this approach has often allowed a completely different approach according to the Courts. Now, scientific research, also making use of animal models, is demonstrating the biological basis of the problem and the indisputable consequences on the well-being and health of children. The innovative conclusion of this review is that this argument (because of its frequency and gravity) is primarily a question of public health and that it is necessary to further harmonize practices in this area.

show abstract

“…Based on previous research 6, 13 , we hypothesized that increased methylation related to early pain exposure would result in altered emotional regulation profile in preterm children compared to full-term counterparts. As DNA methylation is susceptible to additional environmental exposures later in life, 18,19 we controlled for cumulative exposure to adversities that might have occurred from birth to 4.5 years of age.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain‐related increase in serotonin transporter gene methylation associates with emotional regulation in 4.5‐year‐old preterm‐born children

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim. The main goal of this study was to assess the association between pain-related increase in serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) methylation and emotional dysregulation in 4.5-year-old preterm children compared to full-term matched counterparts.Methods. Preterm (n=29) and full-term (n=26) children recruited from two Italian hospitals were followed-up from October 2011 to December 2017. SLC6A4 methylation was assessed from cord blood at birth from both groups and peripheral blood at discharge for preterm ones. At 4.5 years, emotional regulation (i.e., anger, fear, sadness) was assessed through an observational standardized procedure.Results. Preterm children (18 females; mean age = 4.5, range = 4.3 -4.8) showed greater anger display compared to full-term controls (14 females; mean age = 4.5, range = 4.4 -4.9) in response to emotional stress. Controlling for adverse life events occurrence from discharge to 4.5 years and SLC6A4 methylation at birth, CpG-specific SLC6A4 methylation in the neonatal period was predictive of greater anger display in preterm children but not in full-term ones.Conclusion. These findings contribute to highlight how epigenetic regulation of serotonin transporter gene in response to NICU pain exposure contributes to long-lasting programming of anger regulation in preterm children. KEY POINTS• Early exposure to adverse events may contribute to the behavioural phenotype of preterm infants via epigenetic mechanisms.• Pain-related increase in serotonin transporter gene methylation associated with increased anger response to emotional stress at 4.5 years of age in preterm children.• These findings highlight the importance of limiting early pain exposure in preterm infants to reduce the risk of later emotional dysregulation.

show abstract

Adverse Life Events and Allele-Specific Methylation of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (SLC6A4) in Adolescents

Cited by 45 publications

References 48 publications

Adolescent depression linked to socioeconomic status? Molecular approaches for revealing premorbid risk factors

Adolescent depression linked to socioeconomic status? Molecular approaches for revealing premorbid risk factors

New approaches to divorce with children: A problem of public health

Pain‐related increase in serotonin transporter gene methylation associates with emotional regulation in 4.5‐year‐old preterm‐born children

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About