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Levesque ML, Fahim C, Ismaylova E, Verner MP, Casey KF, Vitaro F, Brendgen M, Dionne G, Boivin M, Tremblay RE, Booij L. The Impact of the in utero and Early Postnatal Environments on Grey and White Matter Volume: A Study with Adolescent Monozygotic Twins. Dev Neurosci 2015; 37:489-96. [DOI: 10.1159/000430982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal and early postnatal adversities have been shown to be associated with brain development. However, we do not know how much of this association is confounded by genetics, nor whether the postnatal environment can moderate the impact of in utero adversity. This study used a monozygotic (MZ) twin design to assess (1) the association between birth weight (BW) and brain volume in adolescence, (2) the association between within-twin-pair BW discordance and brain volume discordance in adolescence, and (3) whether the association between BW and brain volume in adolescence is mediated or moderated by early negative maternal parenting behaviours. These associations were assessed in a sample of 108 MZ twins followed longitudinally since birth and scanned at age 15. The total grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes were obtained using the Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration Through Exponentiated Lie Algebra (DARTEL) toolbox in the Statistical Parametric Mapping version 8 (SPM8). We found that the BW was significantly associated with the total GM and WM volumes, particularly in the superior frontal gyrus and thalamus. Within-twin-pair discordance in BW was also significantly associated with within-pair discordance in both the GM and the WM volumes, supporting the hypothesis that the specific in utero environment is associated with brain development independently of genetics. Early maternal hostile parenting behaviours and depressive symptoms were associated with total GM volume but not WM volume. Finally, greater early maternal hostility may moderate the association between the BW and GM volume in adolescence, since the positive association between the BW and total GM volume appeared stronger at higher levels of maternal hostility (trend). Together, these findings support the importance of the in utero and early environments for brain development.
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Torres-Espinola FJ, Berglund SK, García-Valdés LM, Segura MT, Jerez A, Campos D, Moreno-Torres R, Rueda R, Catena A, Pérez-García M, Campoy C. Maternal Obesity, Overweight and Gestational Diabetes Affect the Offspring Neurodevelopment at 6 and 18 Months of Age--A Follow Up from the PREOBE Cohort. PLoS One 2015. [PMID: 26208217 PMCID: PMC4514597 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Brain development in fetal life and early infancy is critical to determine lifelong performance in various neuropsychological domains. Metabolic pathologies such as overweight, obesity, and gestational diabetes in pregnant women are prevalent and increasing risk factors that may adversely affect long-term brain development in their offspring. Objective The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of maternal metabolic pathologies on the neurodevelopment of the offspring at 6 and 18 months of life. Design This was a prospective case-control study of 331 mother- and child pairs from Granada, Spain. The mothers were included during pregnancy into four groups according to their pre-gestational body mass index and their gestational diabetes status; overweight (n:56), obese (n:64), gestational diabetic (n:79), and healthy normal weight controls (n:132). At 6 months and 18 months we assessed the children with the Bayley III scales of neurodevelopment. Results At 6 months (n=215), we found significant group differences in cognition composite language, and expressive language. Post hoc test revealed unexpectedly higher scores in the obese group compared to the normal weight group and a similar trend in overweight and diabetic group. The effects on language remained significant after adjusting for confounders with an adjusted odds ratio for a value above median in composite language score of 3.3 (95% CI: 1.1, 10.0; p=0.035) for children of obese mothers. At 18 month (n=197), the offspring born to obese mothers had lost five points in language composite scores and the previous differences in language and cognition was replaced by a suggestive trend of lower gross motor scores in the overweight, obese, and diabetic groups. Conclusions Infants of obese mothers had a temporary accelerated development of cognition and language, followed by a rapid deceleration until 18 months of age, particularly of language scores. This novel observation prompts further confirmative studies to explore possible placental and neurodevelopmental mechanisms involved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Staffan K Berglund
- Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Luz Mª García-Valdés
- Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Mª Teresa Segura
- Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Jerez
- Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Daniel Campos
- Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Rosario Moreno-Torres
- Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Ricardo Rueda
- R&D Department, Abbott Laboratories. Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Andrés Catena
- Mind, Brain and Behaviour International Research Centre (CIMCYC). University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Miguel Pérez-García
- Mind, Brain and Behaviour International Research Centre (CIMCYC). University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Cristina Campoy
- Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- * E-mail:
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53
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Demir ÖE, Rowe ML, Heller G, Goldin-Meadow S, Levine SC. Vocabulary, syntax, and narrative development in typically developing children and children with early unilateral brain injury: early parental talk about the "there-and-then" matters. Dev Psychol 2015; 51:161-75. [PMID: 25621756 DOI: 10.1037/a0038476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This study examines the role of a particular kind of linguistic input--talk about the past and future, pretend, and explanations, that is, talk that is decontextualized--in the development of vocabulary, syntax, and narrative skill in typically developing (TD) children and children with pre- or perinatal brain injury (BI). Decontextualized talk has been shown to be particularly effective in predicting children's language skills, but it is not clear why. We first explored the nature of parent decontextualized talk and found it to be linguistically richer than contextualized talk in parents of both TD and BI children. We then found, again for both groups, that parent decontextualized talk at child age 30 months was a significant predictor of child vocabulary, syntax, and narrative performance at kindergarten, above and beyond the child's own early language skills, parent contextualized talk and demographic factors. Decontextualized talk played a larger role in predicting kindergarten syntax and narrative outcomes for children with lower syntax and narrative skill at age 30 months, and also a larger role in predicting kindergarten narrative outcomes for children with BI than for TD children. The difference between the 2 groups stemmed primarily from the fact that children with BI had lower narrative (but not vocabulary or syntax) scores than TD children. When the 2 groups were matched in terms of narrative skill at kindergarten, the impact that decontextualized talk had on narrative skill did not differ for children with BI and for TD children. Decontextualized talk is thus a strong predictor of later language skill for all children, but may be particularly potent for children at the lower-end of the distribution for language skill. The findings also suggest that variability in the language development of children with BI is influenced not only by the biological characteristics of their lesions, but also by the language input they receive.
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Costa DDS, Rosa DVF, Barros AGA, Romano-Silva MA, Malloy-Diniz LF, Mattos P, de Miranda DM. Telomere length is highly inherited and associated with hyperactivity-impulsivity in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Front Mol Neurosci 2015. [PMID: 26217174 PMCID: PMC4498098 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2015.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) is highly heritable, and a shorter telomere at birth may increase the risk of age-related problems. Additionally, a shorter TL may represent a biomarker of chronic stress and has been associated with psychiatric disorders. However, no study has explored whether there is an association between TL and the symptoms of one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood: Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). We evaluated 61 (range, 6–16 years) ADHD children and their parents between 2012 and 2014. TL was measured with a quantitative polymerase chain reaction method with telomere signal normalized to the signal from a single copy gene (36B4) to generate a T/S ratio. Family data was processed through a generalized estimated equations (GEE) model to determine the effect of parental TL on children TL. Inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were also evaluated in relation to TL. For the first time, we found general heritability to be the major mechanism explaining interindividual TL variation in ADHD (father-child: 95% CI = 0.35/0.91, p < 0.001; mother-child: 95% CI = 0.38/0.74, p < 0.001). The hyperactive-impulsive dimension of ADHD was related with children’s TL (r = −339, p = 0.008) and maternal TL (r = −264, p = 0.047), but not with paternal TL (p > 0.05). The ADHD inattentive dimension was not significant associated with TL in this study (p > 0.05). TL was shown to be a potential biomarker of the ADHD symptoms burden in families affected by this neurodevelopmental disorder. However, it is crucial that future studies investigating the rate of telomere attrition in relation to psychiatric problems to consider the strong determination of TL at birth by inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle de Souza Costa
- School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ; National Institute of Science and Technology of Molecular Medicine (INCT-MM) Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Daniela Valadão Freitas Rosa
- School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ; National Institute of Science and Technology of Molecular Medicine (INCT-MM) Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Guimarães Almeida Barros
- School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ; National Institute of Science and Technology of Molecular Medicine (INCT-MM) Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Marco Aurélio Romano-Silva
- School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ; National Institute of Science and Technology of Molecular Medicine (INCT-MM) Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Leandro Fernandes Malloy-Diniz
- School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ; National Institute of Science and Technology of Molecular Medicine (INCT-MM) Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Paulo Mattos
- Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ; D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Débora Marques de Miranda
- School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil ; National Institute of Science and Technology of Molecular Medicine (INCT-MM) Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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Murray-Kolb LE, Rasmussen ZA, Scharf RJ, Rasheed MA, Svensen E, Seidman JC, Tofail F, Koshy B, Shrestha R, Maphula A, Vasquez AO, da Costa HP, Yousafzai AK, Oria RB, Roshan R, Bayyo EB, Kosek M, Shrestha S, Schaefer BA, Bessong P, Ahmed T, Lang D. The MAL-ED cohort study: methods and lessons learned when assessing early child development and caregiving mediators in infants and young children in 8 low- and middle-income countries. Clin Infect Dis 2015; 59 Suppl 4:S261-72. [PMID: 25305296 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciu437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
More epidemiological data are needed on risk and protective factors for child development. In The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) cohort study, we assessed child development in a harmonious manner across 8 sites in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, and Tanzania. From birth to 24 months, development and language acquisition were assessed via the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and a modified MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory. Other measures were infant temperament, the child's environment, maternal psychological adjustment, and maternal reasoning abilities. We developed standard operating procedures and used multiple techniques to ensure appropriate adaptation and quality assurance across the sites. Test adaptation required significant time and human resources but is essential for data quality; funders should support this step in future studies. At the end of this study, we will have a portfolio of culturally adapted instruments for child development studies with examination of psychometric properties of each tool used.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zeba A Rasmussen
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | | | - Erling Svensen
- University of Bergen, Norway Haydom Lutheran Hospital, Haydom, Tanzania
| | - Jessica C Seidman
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Fahmida Tofail
- icddr,b (formerly the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Rita Shrestha
- Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal Royal Thai Army-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Nepal and Thailand
| | | | - Angel Orbe Vasquez
- Asociacion Benefica PRISMA, Iquitos, Peru Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Margaret Kosek
- Asociacion Benefica PRISMA, Iquitos, Peru Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sanjaya Shrestha
- Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal Royal Thai Army-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Nepal and Thailand
| | | | | | | | - Dennis Lang
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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56
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Demir ÖE, Prado J, Booth JR. Parental socioeconomic status and the neural basis of arithmetic: differential relations to verbal and visuo-spatial representations. Dev Sci 2015; 18:799-814. [PMID: 25664675 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
We examined the relation of parental socioeconomic status (SES) to the neural bases of subtraction in school-age children (9- to 12-year-olds). We independently localized brain regions subserving verbal versus visuo-spatial representations to determine whether the parental SES-related differences in children's reliance on these neural representations vary as a function of math skill. At higher SES levels, higher skill was associated with greater recruitment of the left temporal cortex, identified by the verbal localizer. At lower SES levels, higher skill was associated with greater recruitment of right parietal cortex, identified by the visuo-spatial localizer. This suggests that depending on parental SES, children engage different neural systems to solve subtraction problems. Furthermore, SES was related to the activation in the left temporal and frontal cortex during the independent verbal localizer task, but it was not related to activation during the independent visuo-spatial localizer task. Differences in activation during the verbal localizer task in turn were related to differences in activation during the subtraction task in right parietal cortex. The relation was stronger at lower SES levels. This result suggests that SES-related differences in the visuo-spatial regions during subtraction might be based in SES-related verbal differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özlem Ece Demir
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, USA
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Laboratoire Langage, Cerveau et Cognition, Centre National de la Recherche Scienctifique (CNRS) and Université de Lyon, France
| | - James R Booth
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, USA.,Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas-Austin, USA
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57
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Adverse childhood experiences and physiological wear-and-tear in midlife: Findings from the 1958 British birth cohort. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E738-46. [PMID: 25646470 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1417325112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Allostatic load (AL) is a measure of overall physiological wear-and-tear over the life course, which could partially be the consequence of early life exposures. AL could allow a better understanding of the potential biological pathways playing a role in the construction of the social gradient in adult health. To explore the biological embedding hypothesis, we examined whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with elevated AL in midlife. We used imputed data on 3,782 women and 3,753 men of the National Child Development Study in Britain followed up seven times. ACEs were measured using prospective data collected at ages 7, 11, and 16. AL was operationalized using data from the biomedical survey collected at age 44 on 14 parameters representing four biological systems. We examined the role of adult health behaviors, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic status as potential mediators using a path analysis. ACEs were associated with higher AL for both men and women after adjustment for early life factors and childhood pathologies. The path analysis showed that the association between ACEs and AL was largely explained by early adult factors at age 23 and 33. For men, the total mediated effect was 59% (for two or more ACEs) via health behaviors, education level, and wealth. For women, the mediated effect represented 76% (for two or more ACEs) via smoking, BMI, education level, and wealth. Our results indicate that early psychosocial stress has an indirect lasting impact on physiological wear-and-tear via health behaviors, BMI, and socioeconomic factors in adulthood.
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58
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Wass SV. Applying cognitive training to target executive functions during early development. Child Neuropsychol 2014; 21:150-66. [PMID: 24511910 PMCID: PMC4270409 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2014.882888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Developmental psychopathology is increasingly recognizing the importance of distinguishing causal processes (i.e., the mechanisms that cause a disease) from developmental outcomes (i.e., the symptoms of the disorder as it is eventually diagnosed). Targeting causal processes early in disordered development may be more effective than waiting until outcomes are established and then trying to reverse the pathogenic process. In this review, I evaluate evidence suggesting that neural and behavioral plasticity may be greatest at very early stages of development. I also describe correlational evidence suggesting that, across a number of conditions, early emerging individual differences in attentional control and working memory may play a role in mediating later-developing differences in academic and other forms of learning. I review the currently small number of studies that applied direct and indirect cognitive training targeted at young individuals and discuss methodological challenges associated with targeting this age group. I also discuss a number of ways in which early, targeted cognitive training may be used to help us understand the developmental mechanisms subserving typical and atypical cognitive development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam V. Wass
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
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59
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Gonzalez-Rodriguez PJ, Xiong F, Li Y, Zhou J, Zhang L. Fetal hypoxia increases vulnerability of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in neonatal rats: role of glucocorticoid receptors. Neurobiol Dis 2014; 65:172-9. [PMID: 24513088 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2014.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Revised: 01/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Gestational hypoxia is a common stress to the fetal development and increases the risk of neonatal morbidity. The present study tested the hypothesis that fetal hypoxia results in heightened brain vulnerability to hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury in neonatal rats via down-regulation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the developing brain. Time-dated pregnant rats were exposed to hypoxia (10.5% O2) from days 15 to 21 of gestation. Brain HI injury was determined in day 10 pups. Maternal hypoxia resulted in asymmetric intrauterine growth restriction in the fetus. The brain HI injury was significantly increased in maternal hypoxia-treated pups as compared with the normoxia control in both males and females. Activation of brain GR by dexamethasone injection into the right lateral ventricle produced a concentration-dependent reduction of HI-induced brain injury in control pups. Maternal hypoxia significantly decreased GR mRNA and protein abundance in the fetal brain and neonatal hippocampus and abolished the dexamethasone-mediated neuroprotective effect in pup brains. This decreased GR expression was resulted from increased DNA methylation, decreased binding of transcription factors Egr-1 and Sp1 to GR gene exon 17 and 111 promoters, and reduced expression of GR exon 17 and 111 mRNA variants. The results demonstrate that gestational hypoxia causes epigenetic repression of GR gene expression in the developing brain resulting in the heightened brain vulnerability to HI injury in neonatal rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo J Gonzalez-Rodriguez
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Fuxia Xiong
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Yong Li
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Jianjun Zhou
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Lubo Zhang
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA.
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60
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Abstract
Animal models of early-life stress and variation in social experience across the lifespan have contributed significantly to our understanding of the environmental regulation of the developing brain. Plasticity in neurobiological pathways regulating stress responsivity, cognition, and reproductive behavior is apparent during the prenatal period and continues into adulthood, suggesting a lifelong sensitivity to environmental cues. Recent evidence suggests that dynamic epigenetic changes--molecular modifications that alter gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence--account for this plasticity. In this review, we highlight studies of laboratory rodents that illustrate the association between the experience of prenatal stress, maternal separation, maternal care, abusive caregiving in infancy, juvenile social housing, and adult social stress and variation in DNA methylation and histone modification. Moreover, we discuss emerging evidence for the transgenerational impact of these experiences. These experimental paradigms have yielded insights into the potential role of epigenetic mechanisms in mediating the effects of the environment on human development and also indicate that consideration of the sensitivity of laboratory animals to environmental cues may be an important factor in predicting long-term health and welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Gudsnuk
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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61
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Rachdaoui N, Sarkar DK. Transgenerational epigenetics and brain disorders. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2014; 115:51-73. [PMID: 25131542 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-801311-3.00002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Neurobehavioral and psychiatric disorders are complex diseases with a strong heritable component; however, to date, genome-wide association studies failed to identify the genetic loci involved in the etiology of these brain disorders. Recently, transgenerational epigenetic inheritance has emerged as an important factor playing a pivotal role in the inheritance of brain disorders. This field of research provides evidence that environmentally induced epigenetic changes in the germline during embryonic development can be transmitted for multiple generations and may contribute to the etiology of brain disease heritability. In this review, we discuss some of the most recent findings on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. We particularly discuss the findings on the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the heritability of alcohol-induced neurobehavioral disorders such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Rachdaoui
- Rutgers Endocrine Research Program, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Dipak K Sarkar
- Rutgers Endocrine Research Program, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
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He X, Zhang XM, Wu J, Fu J, Mou L, Lu DH, Cai Y, Luo XG, Pan A, Yan XX. Olfactory experience modulates immature neuron development in postnatal and adult guinea pig piriform cortex. Neuroscience 2013; 259:101-12. [PMID: 24316472 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2013] [Revised: 11/23/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Immature neurons expressing doublecortin (DCX+) are present around cortical layer II in various mammals including guinea pigs and humans, especially enriched in the paleocortex. However, little is known whether and how functional experience affects the development of this population of neurons. We attempted to explore a modulation by experience to layer II DCX+ cells in the primary olfactory cortex in postnatal and adult guinea pigs. Neonatal and 1-year-old guinea pigs were subjected to unilateral naris-occlusion, followed 1 and 2months later by morphometry of DCX+ cells in the piriform cortex. DCX+ somata and processes were reduced in the deprived relative to the non-deprived piriform cortex in both age groups at the two surviving time points. The number of DCX+ cells was decreased in the deprived side relative to internal control at 1 and 2months in the youths and at 2months in the adults post-occlusion. The mean somal area of DCX+ cells showed a trend of decrease in the deprived side relative to the internal control in the youths. In addition, DCX+ cells in the deprived side exhibited a lower frequency of colocalization with the neuron-specific nuclear antigen (NeuN) relative to counterparts. These results suggest that normal olfactory experience is required for the maintenance and development of DCX+ immature neurons in postnatal and adult guinea pig piriform cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- X He
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - X-M Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, China
| | - J Wu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, China
| | - J Fu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, China
| | - L Mou
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China; Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, China
| | - D-H Lu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Y Cai
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - X-G Luo
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - A Pan
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - X-X Yan
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China.
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Tate EB, Spruijt-Metz D, O’Reilly G, Jordan-Marsh M, Gotsis M, Pentz MA, Dunton GF. mHealth approaches to child obesity prevention: successes, unique challenges, and next directions. Transl Behav Med 2013; 3:406-15. [PMID: 24294329 PMCID: PMC3830013 DOI: 10.1007/s13142-013-0222-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood obesity continues to be a significant public health issue. mHealth systems offer state-of-the-art approaches to intervention design, delivery, and diffusion of treatment and prevention efforts. Benefits include cost effectiveness, potential for real-time data collection, feedback capability, minimized participant burden, relevance to multiple types of populations, and increased dissemination capability. However, these advantages are coupled with unique challenges. This commentary discusses challenges with using mHealth strategies for child obesity prevention, such as lack of scientific evidence base describing effectiveness of commercially available applications; relatively slower speed of technology development in academic research settings as compared with industry; data security, and patient privacy; potentially adverse consequences of increased sedentary screen time, and decreased focused attention due to technology use. Implications for researchers include development of more nuanced measures of screen time and other technology-related activities, and partnering with industry for developing healthier technologies. Implications for health practitioners include monitoring, assessing, and providing feedback to child obesity program designers about users' data transfer issues, perceived security and privacy, sedentary behavior, focused attention, and maintenance of behavior change. Implications for policy makers include regulation of claims and quality of apps (especially those aimed at children), supporting standardized data encryption and secure open architecture, and resources for research-industry partnerships that improve the look and feel of technology. Partnerships between academia and industry may promote solutions, as discussed in this commentary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor B Tate
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Donna Spruijt-Metz
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Gillian O’Reilly
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Maryalice Jordan-Marsh
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Marientina Gotsis
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Mary Ann Pentz
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Genevieve F Dunton
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
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Gauffin K, Vinnerljung B, Fridell M, Hesse M, Hjern A. Childhood socio-economic status, school failure and drug abuse: a Swedish national cohort study. Addiction 2013; 108:1441-9. [PMID: 23489245 DOI: 10.1111/add.12169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2012] [Revised: 09/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
AIM To investigate whether socio-economic status (SES) in childhood and school failure at 15 years of age predict illicit drug abuse in youth and young adulthood. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Register study in a Swedish national cohort born 1973-88 (n = 1,405,763), followed from age 16 to 20-35 years. Cox regression analyses were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) for any indication of drug abuse. MEASUREMENTS Our outcomes were hospital admissions, death and criminality associated with illicit drug abuse. Data on socio-demographics, school grades and parental psychosocial problems were collected from censuses (1985 and 1990) and national registers. School failure was defined as having mean school grades from the final year in primary school lower than -1 standard deviation and/or no grades in core subjects. FINDINGS School failure was a strong predictor of illicit drug abuse with an HR of 5.87 (95% CI: 5.76-5.99) after adjustment for age and sex. Childhood SES was associated with illicit drug abuse later in life in a stepwise manner. The lowest stratum had a HR of 2.28 (95% CI: 2.20-2.37) compared with the highest stratum as the reference, when adjusted for other socio-demographic variables. In the fully adjusted model, the effect of SES was greatly attenuated to an HR of 1.23 (95% CI: 1.19-1.28) in the lowest SES category, while the effect of school failure remained high with an HR of 4.22 (95% CI: 4.13-4.31). CONCLUSIONS School failure and childhood socio-economic status predict illicit drug abuse independently in youth and young adults in Sweden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Gauffin
- Centre for Health Equity Studies, Karolinska Institutet/Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Lipina S, Segretin S, Hermida J, Prats L, Fracchia C, Camelo JL, Colombo J. Linking childhood poverty and cognition: environmental mediators of non-verbal executive control in an Argentine sample. Dev Sci 2013; 16:697-707. [PMID: 24033575 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2013] [Accepted: 04/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Lipina
- Unidad de Neurobiología Aplicada (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET); Buenos Aires; Argentina
| | - Soledad Segretin
- Unidad de Neurobiología Aplicada (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET); Buenos Aires; Argentina
| | - Julia Hermida
- Unidad de Neurobiología Aplicada (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET); Buenos Aires; Argentina
| | - Lucía Prats
- Unidad de Neurobiología Aplicada (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET); Buenos Aires; Argentina
| | - Carolina Fracchia
- Unidad de Neurobiología Aplicada (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET); Buenos Aires; Argentina
| | | | - Jorge Colombo
- Unidad de Neurobiología Aplicada (UNA, CEMIC-CONICET); Buenos Aires; Argentina
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Anjos T, Altmäe S, Emmett P, Tiemeier H, Closa-Monasterolo R, Luque V, Wiseman S, Pérez-García M, Lattka E, Demmelmair H, Egan B, Straub N, Szajewska H, Evans J, Horton C, Paus T, Isaacs E, van Klinken JW, Koletzko B, Campoy C. Nutrition and neurodevelopment in children: focus on NUTRIMENTHE project. Eur J Nutr 2013; 52:1825-42. [PMID: 23884402 DOI: 10.1007/s00394-013-0560-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that early nutrition affects later cognitive performance. The idea that the diet of mothers, infants, and children could affect later mental performance has major implications for public health practice and policy development and for our understanding of human biology as well as for food product development, economic progress, and future wealth creation. To date, however, much of the evidence is from animal, retrospective studies and short-term nutritional intervention studies in humans. The positive effect of micronutrients on health, especially of pregnant women eating well to maximise their child's cognitive and behavioural outcomes, is commonly acknowledged. The current evidence of an association between gestational nutrition and brain development in healthy children is more credible for folate, n-3 fatty acids, and iron. Recent findings highlight the fact that single-nutrient supplementation is less adequate than supplementation with more complex formulae. However, the optimal content of micronutrient supplementation and whether there is a long-term impact on child's neurodevelopment needs to be investigated further. Moreover, it is also evident that future studies should take into account genetic heterogeneity when evaluating nutritional effects and also nutritional recommendations. The objective of the present review is to provide a background and update on the current knowledge linking nutrition to cognition and behaviour in children, and to show how the large collaborative European Project NUTRIMENTHE is working towards this aim.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Anjos
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Jednoróg K, Altarelli I, Monzalvo K, Fluss J, Dubois J, Billard C, Dehaene-Lambertz G, Ramus F. The influence of socioeconomic status on children's brain structure. PLoS One 2012; 7:e42486. [PMID: 22880000 PMCID: PMC3411785 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2011] [Accepted: 07/09/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Children’s cognitive abilities and school achievements are deeply affected by parental socioeconomic status (SES). Numerous studies have reported lower cognitive performance in relation to unfavorable environments, but little is known about the effects of SES on the child’s neural structures. Here, we systematically explore the association between SES and brain anatomy through MRI in a group of 23 healthy 10-year-old children with a wide range of parental SES. We confirm behaviorally that language is one of the cognitive domains most affected by SES. Furthermore, we observe widespread modifications in children’s brain structure. A lower SES is associated with smaller volumes of gray matter in bilateral hippocampi, middle temporal gyri, left fusiform and right inferior occipito-temporal gyri, according to both volume- and surface-based morphometry. Moreover, we identify local gyrification effects in anterior frontal regions, supportive of a potential developmental lag in lower SES children. In contrast, we found no significant association between SES and white matter architecture. These findings point to the potential neural mediators of the link between unfavourable environmental conditions and cognitive skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Département d’Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
- * E-mail: (KJ); (IA)
| | - Irene Altarelli
- Département d’Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
- * E-mail: (KJ); (IA)
| | - Karla Monzalvo
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Gif sur Yvette, France
- Neurospin, Comissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Division of Life Sciences, Institute of BioImaging, Gif sur Yvette, France
- University Paris 11, Orsay, France
| | - Joel Fluss
- University Paris 11, Orsay, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France
- Neurologie pédiatrique, Hôpitaux Universitaires Genève, Genève, Suisse
| | - Jessica Dubois
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Gif sur Yvette, France
- Neurospin, Comissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Division of Life Sciences, Institute of BioImaging, Gif sur Yvette, France
- University Paris 11, Orsay, France
| | - Catherine Billard
- University Paris 11, Orsay, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France
| | - Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Gif sur Yvette, France
- Neurospin, Comissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Division of Life Sciences, Institute of BioImaging, Gif sur Yvette, France
- University Paris 11, Orsay, France
| | - Franck Ramus
- Département d’Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Newman
- Developmental Psychiatry and Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
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Farias ST, Mungas D, Reed B, Carmichael O, Beckett L, Harvey D, Olichney J, Simmons A, Decarli C. Maximal brain size remains an important predictor of cognition in old age, independent of current brain pathology. Neurobiol Aging 2012; 33:1758-68. [PMID: 21531482 PMCID: PMC3177982 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2010] [Revised: 03/09/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
There is growing interest in the influence of early-life development on clinical manifestations of late-life diseases. Latent variable modeling was used to investigate how maximal brain volume (measured by intracranial volume [ICV]) and current brain volumes uniquely contribute to domain-specific cognitive performance in a group of 401 cognitively and ethnically diverse older adults. Individual effects of volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures including ICV were examined as predictors of episodic memory, semantic memory, spatial ability, and executive function. Total brain matter volume related to all cognitive domains; hippocampal volume was associated primarily with episodic memory; white matter hyperintensity volume was related to executive function and episodic memory. Maximal brain size as measured by ICV was related to semantic memory, executive function, and spatial ability independent of current brain volumes (ps < 0.01). Relationships between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables and cognition did not differ substantially across groups defined by ethnicity, gender, and with minor exceptions, clinical diagnosis. Results suggest maximal brain development and measures of brain injury/atrophy jointly contribute to cognitive function in older people.
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Abstract
Both HIV infection and high levels of early life stress (ELS) have been related to abnormalities in frontal-subcortical structures, yet the combined effects of HIV and ELS on brain structure and function have not been previously investigated. In this study we assessed 49 non-demented HIV-seropositive (HIV+) and 47 age-matched HIV-seronegative healthy control (HC) adults. Levels of ELS exposure were quantified and used to define four HIV-ELS groups: HC Low-ELS (N = 20); HC High-ELS (N = 27); HIV+ Low-ELS (N = 24); HIV+ High-ELS (N = 25). An automated segmentation tool measured volumes of brain structures known to show HIV-related or ELS-related effects; a brief neurocognitive battery was administered. A significant HIV-ELS interaction was observed for amygdala volumes, which was driven by enlargements in HIV+ High-ELS participants. The HIV+ High-ELS group also demonstrated significant reductions in psychomotor/processing speed compared with HC Low-ELS. Regression analyses in the HIV+ group revealed that amygdala enlargements were associated with higher ELS, lower nadir CD4 counts, and reduced psychomotor/processing speed. Our results suggest that HIV infection and high ELS interact to increase amygdala volume, which is associated with neurocognitive dysfunction in HIV+ patients. These findings highlight the lasting neuropathological influence of ELS and suggest that high ELS may be a significant risk factor for neurocognitive impairment in HIV-infected individuals.
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Staff RT, Murray AD, Ahearn TS, Mustafa N, Fox HC, Whalley LJ. Childhood socioeconomic status and adult brain size: childhood socioeconomic status influences adult hippocampal size. Ann Neurol 2012; 71:653-60. [PMID: 22522480 DOI: 10.1002/ana.22631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate in older adults without dementia the relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived brain volume measures typical of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS Using a cross-sectional and longitudinal observation approach, we invited volunteers without dementia, all born in 1936, and who were participants in the 1947 Scottish Mental Survey, for MR brain imaging; 249 of 320 (77%) agreed. We measured whole brain and hippocampal volumes and recorded childhood SES history, the number of years of education undertaken, and adult SES history. Mental ability at age 11 years was recorded in 1947 and was also available. RESULTS Analysis shows a significant association between childhood SES and hippocampal volume after adjusting for mental ability at age 11 years, adult SES, gender, and education. INTERPRETATION A significant association between childhood SES and hippocampal volumes in late life is consistent with the established neurodevelopmental findings that early life conditions have an effect on structural brain development. This remains detectable more than 50 years later.
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Jablonska B, Lindblad F, Ostberg V, Lindberg L, Rasmussen F, Hjern A. A national cohort study of parental socioeconomic status and non-fatal suicidal behaviour--the mediating role of school performance. BMC Public Health 2012; 12:17. [PMID: 22230577 PMCID: PMC3268709 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2011] [Accepted: 01/09/2012] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A link between low parental socioeconomic status and mental health problems in offspring is well established in previous research. The mechanisms that explain this link are largely unknown. The present study investigated whether school performance was a mediating and/or moderating factor in the path between parental socioeconomic status and the risk of hospital admission for non-fatal suicidal behaviour. METHODS A national cohort of 447 929 children born during 1973-1977 was followed prospectively in the National Patient Discharge Register from the end of their ninth and final year of compulsory school until 2001. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards and linear regression analyses were performed to test whether the association between parental socioeconomic status and non-fatal suicidal behaviour was mediated or moderated by school performance. RESULTS The results of a series of multiple regression analyses, adjusted for demographic variables, revealed that school performance was as an important mediator in the relationship between parental socioeconomic status and risk of non-fatal suicidal behaviour, accounting for 60% of the variance. The hypothesized moderation of parental socioeconomic status-non-fatal suicidal behaviour relationship by school performance was not supported. CONCLUSIONS School performance is an important mediator through which parental socioeconomic status translates into a risk for non-fatal suicidal behaviour. Prevention efforts aimed to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in non-fatal suicidal behaviour among young people will need to consider socioeconomic inequalities in school performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Jablonska
- Division of Applied Public Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Boles DB. Socioeconomic status, a forgotten variable in lateralization development. Brain Cogn 2011; 76:52-7. [PMID: 21458903 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2011.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2010] [Revised: 02/11/2011] [Accepted: 03/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES), a variable combining income, education, and occupation, is correlated with a variety of social health outcomes including school dropout rates, early parenthood, delinquency, and mental illness. Several studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s largely failed to report a relationship between SES and hemispheric asymmetry as measured by lateral differences in dichotic listening, tactile dot enumeration, and visual emotion and word recognition. However, none of the studies used asymmetry measures correcting for both ceiling and floor effects in accuracy, raising the question of whether lower and higher SES groups were comparable. Here the published data are reanalyzed using a laterality coefficient that corrects for such effects. The results are consistent across studies in revealing reduced lateralization in lower SES groups. Developmentally, this finding is consistent with either maturation delay or reduced functional specialization, or both. Suggestions are made for further research that include the use of behavioral asymmetry measures to screen tasks for structural and functional brain imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Boles
- Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 870348, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405, United States.
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Abstract
RATIONALE Early-life stress is associated with later neuropsychiatric illness. While the association between early-life stress and brain development is well recognized, relatively few studies have examined the association between exposure to early-life stress and cognitive outcome. OBJECTIVES The objective of this paper is to examine the association between early-life stress and cognitive outcome in animal models and humans. METHODS In this article, we review alterations in cognitive function associated with early-life stress in animals and then discuss the association of early-life stress and cognitive function in humans. RESULTS Findings suggest that early-life stress is associated with abnormal cognitive function in animals and humans. Furthermore, cognitive deficits associated with exposure to early-life stress in humans may persist into at least early adulthood, although animal models of enriched environments and studies of children adopted from institutionalized care into foster families suggest that certain social factors may at least partially reverse cognitive deficits following exposure to early-life stress. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to stress in early life may be associated with later deficits in cognitive function.
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