Early life trauma is associated with decreased peripheral levels of thyroid‐hormone T3 in adolescents

Abstract

An adverse early life environment can induce changes on behavioral and metabolic responses later in life. Recent studies in rats showed that the quality of maternal care as measured by high levels of pup licking and grooming (LG) was associated with changes in the relationship between the precursor thyroid-hormone T4 and the more active T3. Here we investigated if early exposure to childhood abuse is associated with thyroid-hormone levels in human adolescents. Given the empirical evidence from animal models showing that good maternal care was associated with increased conversion of T4 to T3, we hypothesized that early adversity would be associated with a decreased peripheral conversion of T4 to T3. A sample of 80 adolescents (10-18 years) participated in this study. We used the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire to investigate early life stress. We calculate the body mass index (BMI) assessing weight and height and sexual maturation stage was determined by self-assessment. Blood samples were collected to measure T3 and T4 levels. ANCOVA were used to evaluate the influence of the Physical Abuse domain of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire as the early life stress variable in T3 and T4 separately, adjusted for potential confounders such as pubertal status, gender, socioeconomic status and BMI. Early life trauma was associated with reduced T3 levels in adolescents, when adjusted for potential confounders (p=0.013), but not with peripheral T4 levels (p=0.625). We extended findings from animal models showing that adverse early experience persistently impacts on the individual's responses to stress, which is marked by an abnormal metabolism of thyroid hormones. Further studies are needed to further investigate the nature of such associations.

Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation

“…Accordingly, in the obese population, rates of ELS/CT exposure are reported to be almost twice as high as in the non-obese population (69 vs. 39%) (283). Furthermore, ELS/CT has been repeatedly found to be independently associated with increased overall metabolic risk (284,285), obesity and increased visceral fat deposition (286)(287)(288), decreased HDL, increased LDL levels and lower HDL/LDL ratio (289,290), higher triglyceride levels (285), an overall prediabetic state (e.g., impaired insulin sensitivity) (291), reduced T3 levels and abnormal metabolism of thyroid hormones (292), enhanced risk for emotional eating as a self-regulatory coping strategy (293) and higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome (290,294,295) in later life, while some studies have suggested a dose-dependent relation in these associations (288,296).…”

Childhood maltreatment is associated with increased risk of subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy

“…Based on the consideration that the onset and course of hypothyroidism is often insidious and may be precipitated by maternal states and conditions that precede pregnancy, we were particularly interested in considering the role of stress exposure from a maternal life course perspective. We selected exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) as our primary variable of interest for the following reasons: a) CM represents among the most pervasive and pernicious stressors affecting around one third of the general population, with life-long biological, psychological and behavioral consequences (e.g., Heim et al, 2010); b) we and others have previously demonstrated that a woman’s exposure to CM can produce alterations in several features of gestational biology that relate to embryonic/fetal development (Cammack et al, 2011; Mason et al, 2016; Moog et al, 2016; Shea et al, 2007); c) CM exposure has been associated with reduced thyroid activity in the non-pregnant state (Haviland et al, 2006; Machado et al, 2015; Sinai et al, 2014), with thyroid dysfunction in the postpartum period (Plaza et al, 2010; Plaza et al, 2012), and, more generally, with a higher risk of autoimmune disorders (Dube et al, 2009; Goodwin and Stein, 2004); and d) children of women exposed to CM exhibit an increased risk of developing some of the same behavioral disorders that have been observed in children with moderate maternal thyroid dysfunction (Miranda et al, 2013; Rijlaarsdam et al, 2014; Thompson, 2007). In light of these observations, we hypothesized that women exposed to CM may exhibit an increased likelihood of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy, a time period of particular importance for not only the mother but also for her developing fetus.…”

The interaction between lipid exchange and thyroid status in the conditions of prolonged influence of small doses of radiation

“…За останні роки значно розширилися уявлення про стрес як розгалужену системну реакцію організму, яка, за певних умов, може спричинювати порушення функцій багатьох фізіологічних систем, зокрема, серцево-судинної, нервової; дисфункції ендокринної системи на рівні продукції катехоламінів, гормонів щитоподібної, статевих залоз. Ранні життєві психічні травми у підлітків супроводжуються зниженням рівня трийодтироніну (Machado et al, 2015). Гострий стрес у людей характеризується активацією ліполізу, переважаючими енергосубстратами виступають ліпіди.…”