Biological memories of past environments: Epigenetic pathways to health disparities

Thayer, Zaneta M.; Kuzawa, Christopher W.

doi:10.4161/epi.6.7.16222

Cited by 213 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 131 publications

(136 reference statements)

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“…During fetal development, environmental cues can induce the modification of a pliable epigenome, which can result in long-term changes in gene expression that occur in a self-sustaining manner in the absence of the original stimulus. 5 Adverse gestational conditions that arise from inadequate healthcare, poor nutrition, socioeconomic disadvantage and racial disparities are often associated with long-lasting phenotypic consequences in adults, yielding greater risk of diabetes and heart disease, 6,7 as well as low birth weight and congenital defects in progeny. [8][9][10] It is now becoming evident that these effects are inextricably linked to altered epigenetic patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Basic concepts of epigenetics

Mazzio

Soliman²

2012

Epigenetics

200

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Basic concepts of epigenetics

Mazzio

Soliman²

2012

Epigenetics

200

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The underlying biological mechanisms that contribute to health disparities are not clearly delineated, but research suggests possible avenues through exposures known to vary by SES and race/ethnicity, such as early psychosocial stress, maternal nutrition and related preconception health states, and environmental toxicant exposure (Thayer and Kuzawa 2011). A rapidly expanding literature on epigenetics has provided clues to potentially plausible mechanisms that might underlie biological conditioning by demonstrating how gene expression can be modified in response to environmental cues (Cole 2014;Hanson and Gluckman 2014;Meaney 2010;Meloni 2014;Misteli 2013).…”

Section: The Biology Of Social Adversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Disparities: A Life Course Health Development Perspective and Future Research Directions

Russ¹,

Kahn

Flores

et al. 2017

Handbook of Life Course Health Development

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Historically, research examining health status disparities between members in different socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic groups often focused on adults and the concurrent lifestyle factors that might explain health differentials. Recent years have witnessed an explosion of interest in the developmental origins of adult health and disease, and life course-oriented research has proliferated across the social, biological, and health sciences. This chapter describes how an integrated life course health development framework can be applied to advance our understanding of the dynamic and multilevel processes contributing to health disparities across lifetimes and even generations. Examples of recent research that has examined health status disparities from a life course perspective are provided, and research gaps and challenges are reviewed. The chapter concludes with a set of recommendations for a more strategic and responsive life course-informed research agenda that not only can fill in gaps in current knowledge, but also pave the way for the translation of this knowledge into improvement in practice, programs, and policy aimed at alleviating health disparities.

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“…It involves molecular mechanisms like DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAmediated regulation of gene expression. Unlike the DNA sequence of genes, which is relatively hard-wired, epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression are well known to be modifiable by factors in the environment (Bird, 2007;Feil & Fraga, 2012;Thayer & Kuzawa, 2011). Heritable defects in gene expression not involving changes in DNA sequence are referred to as epimutations (Horsthemke, 2006).…”

Section: Outline Of Epigeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of epigenetics in social psychiatry

Peedicayil

2016

Int J Soc Psychiatry

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Background: Epigenetics refers to the study of heritable changes in gene expression not involving changes in DNA sequence and is presently an active area of research in biology and medicine. There is increasing evidence that epigenetics is involved in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. Aims and Methods: Several studies conducted to date have suggested that psychosocial factors act by modifying epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression in the brain in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. Such studies have been conducted both on brain tissues and also using peripheral tissues as substitutes for brain tissues. This article reviews such studies. Results and Conclusion: Epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression in the brain appear to link one individual with another in the context of social psychiatry. Epigenetics appears to be of major importance to the field of social psychiatry.

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Biological memories of past environments: Epigenetic pathways to health disparities

Cited by 213 publications

References 131 publications

Basic concepts of epigenetics

Basic concepts of epigenetics

Health Disparities: A Life Course Health Development Perspective and Future Research Directions

The role of epigenetics in social psychiatry

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