Preliminary indications that the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up Intervention alters DNA methylation in maltreated children

Abstract

Maltreatment during development is associated with epigenetic changes to the genome. Enhancing caregiving may mitigate these effects. Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) is an intervention that has been shown to improve parent–child relationships and a variety of biological and behavioral outcomes among children that are involved in Child Protective Services. This preliminary study, using a small sample size, explored whether children who received ABC exhibit different methylation patterns than those who received a control intervention. The participants included 23 children aged 6–21 months who were randomized to receive ABC (n = 12) or a control intervention (n = 11). While the children displayed similar methylation patterns preintervention, DNA methylation varied between the ABC and control groups at 14,828 sites postintervention. Functional pathway analyses indicated that these differences were associated with gene pathways that are involved in cell signaling, metabolism, and neuronal development. This study is one of the first to explore parenting intervention effects on children's DNA methylation at the whole genome level in infancy. These preliminary findings provide a basis for hypothesis generation in further research with larger-scale studies regarding the malleability of epigenetic states that are associated with maltreatment.

Associations of peripheral blood DNA methylation and estimated monocyte proportion differences during infancy with toddler attachment style

“…For example, one study demonstrated that a composite measure of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-6, TNF-α) and CRP were significantly associated with different forms of early adversity (Hoye et al, 2020).…”

When mummy and daddy get under your skin: A new look at how parenting affects children's DNA methylation, stress reactivity, and disruptive behavior

“…Analyses showed that the NFP program and a history of abuse were both significantly associated with DNA methylome variation at 27 years of age, independent of gender, ancestry, cellular heterogeneity, and a polygenic risk index for major psychiatric disorders. Another study (Hoye et al., 2019) focused on epigenetic effects of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch‐up (ABC) intervention, a 10‐session manualized intervention that is designed to enhance parenting behaviors that stimulate effective self‐regulation in children aged 6–21 months, who were referred to local child welfare agencies due to concerns of maltreatment. While there were no group differences in DNA methylation patterns pre‐intervention, DNA methylation significantly varied post‐intervention between ABC and control children at 14,828 CpG sites, which involved gene pathways related to cell signaling, metabolism, and neuronal development.…”

DNA methylation partially mediates the relationship between childhood adversity and depressive symptoms in adolescence

“…We can therefore deduce that the opposite may also be true -that prevention or intervention methods that reverse these DNAm changes could prevent new onsets of depression or perhaps even reverse or minimize symptoms among people already suffering from depression. Previous studies suggest this reversal may be possible (17,18,63). For example, a recent investigation into longitudinal DNAm profiles of soldiers experiencing PTSD found that successful treatment of the disorder with psychotherapy was linked to DNAm changes at 12 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in various genes (16).…”