scholarly journals Molecular and Behavioral Effects of Infant Maltreatment across Generations in Rhesus Monkeys

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torsten Klengel ◽  
Elyse L. Morin ◽  
Brittany R. Howell ◽  
Sara Bramlett ◽  
Dora Guzman ◽  
...  

AbstractChildhood maltreatment is among the most robust risk factors for subsequent psychiatric and medical disorders, and data in humans and rodents suggest that effects of adverse childhood experiences may be transmitted across generations. Recent indications for biological processes underlying this transfer of experiential effects are intriguing; yet, their relevance in primates is inconclusive due to limitations of current studies. In this study, we bridge research in rodent models and humans with a natural non-human primate model on intergenerational effects of childhood maltreatment. Using a unique, well-controlled, randomized cross-fostering design in rhesus monkeys, we test the influence of ancestral maltreatment on molecular, neuroendocrine and behavioral outcomes in offspring, and show that childhood maltreatment results in transmission of information to the subsequent generation independent of behavioral transmission. We further demonstrate differences in the offspring longitudinal DNA methylation profile of the FKBP5 gene, an important regulator of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in offspring of the maltreatment lineage compared to the control lineage. Finally, we show that differences in FKBP5 methylation have functional effects on molecular, neuroendocrine and behavioral outcomes in offspring of the maltreatment ancestral line, even if the infants were never exposed to maltreatment nor interacted with their exposed ancestors. Although the molecular mechanism underlying our observations remains unknown, our data point to a potential germline-dependent effect. In summary, our data suggest that history of maltreatment in primates can induce molecular and behavioral changes in a subsequent generation independent of behavioral transmission that may influence risk for mental and physical diseases across generations.

2017 ◽  
Vol 211 (3) ◽  
pp. 144-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic T. Plant ◽  
Fergal W. Jones ◽  
Carmine M. Pariante ◽  
Susan Pawlby

BackgroundStudies have shown that a mother's history of childhood maltreatment is associated with her child's experience of internalising and externalising difficulties.AimsTo characterise the mediating pathways that underpin this association.MethodData on a mother's history of childhood maltreatment, depression during pregnancy, postnatal depression, maladaptive parenting practices and her child's experience of maltreatment and internalising and externalising difficulties were analysed in an Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) sample of 9397 mother–child dyads followed prospectively from pregnancy to age 13.ResultsMaternal history of childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with offspring internalising and externalising difficulties. Maternal antenatal depression, postnatal depression and offspring child maltreatment were observed to significantly mediate this association independently.ConclusionsPsychological and psychosocial interventions focused around treating maternal depression, particularly during pregnancy, and safeguarding against adverse childhood experiences could be offered to mothers with traumatic childhood histories to help protect against psychopathology in the next generation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Baglivio ◽  
Kevin T. Wolff ◽  
Nathan Epps ◽  
Randy Nelson

Few studies have examined multilevel effects of neighborhood context on childhood maltreatment. Less work has analyzed these effects with juvenile offenders, and no prior work has examined context effects of childhood maltreatment through the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) framework. ACEs include 10 indictors: emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, domestic violence toward the youth’s mother, household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation/divorce, and household member with a history of jail/imprisonment. Effects of concentrated disadvantage and affluence on ACE scores are examined in a statewide sample of more than 59,000 juvenile offenders, controlling for salient individual (including family and parenting) measures and demographics. Both disadvantage and affluence affect ACE exposure. Implications for research and policy are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S220-S220 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Patterson ◽  
L. Mackenzie ◽  
A. Zwicker ◽  
V. Drobinin ◽  
J. Cumby ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe association between parental severe mental illness (SMI) and depression in offspring may be due to genetic liability or adverse environments. We investigated the effect of parental SMI, SES, and adversity on depression in a sample of youth enriched for familial risk of mental illness.MethodWe assessed 217 youth (mean age 11.95, SD 4.14, range 6–24), including 167 (77%) offspring of parents with SMI. We measured exposure to childhood maltreatment and bullying with the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) and Childhood Experiences of Care and Abuse (CECA) interview.ResultsIn total, 13.36% participants reported significant bullying and 40.76% had a history of childhood maltreatment. Rates of bullying and maltreatment were similar in offspring of parents with and without SMI. Maltreatment likelihood increased with decreasing socioeconomic status. Exposure to bullying (OR = 3.11, 95%CI 1.08–8.88, P = 0.03) predicted depression in offspring more strongly than family history of SMI in parents.ConclusionsAdversity, such as maltreatment and bullying, has a stronger impact on the risk of developing depression than family history of mental illness in parents. These adverse experiences are associated with socioeconomic status rather than parental mental illness.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Daniela Marchetti ◽  
Pasquale Musso ◽  
Maria Cristina Verrocchio ◽  
Giovanna Manna ◽  
Daniel C. Kopala-Sibley ◽  
...  

Abstract Adverse childhood experiences are significant risk factors in the development of adolescent borderline personality disorder symptoms (BPDs). Theorists have posited that two personality vulnerabilities factors, self-criticism and dependency, may inform our understanding of this relationship. However, no research has examined the associations between early negative experiences, personality vulnerabilities, and adolescent BPDs. The current study aimed to identify profiles of dependency and self-criticism to examine the associations of these profiles with cumulative forms of childhood maltreatment (CM) and BPDs as well as to explore the mediating and moderating role of vulnerable personality profiles in the relationship between cumulative CM and BPDs. Two hundred and forty-one nonclinical and clinical adolescents participated in the study (Mage = 16.37, SD = 1.84). The findings indicated three different profiles: average dependent profile, dependent and self-critical profile, and self-critical profile. Individuals in the average dependent profile presented lower levels of CM and BPDs. Mediation analyses showed that relative to the average dependent profile, a higher cumulative CM history predicted a higher probability of belonging in the dependent and self-critical profile or the self-critical profile and, in turn, this was associated with higher levels of BPDs. No moderating effects of profiles of dependency and self-criticism were found.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2199637
Author(s):  
Melissa S. Jones ◽  
Hayley Pierce ◽  
Constance L. Chapple

Though considerable research links both a lack of self-control and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to a variety of negative health and behavioral outcomes, few studies to date have explored whether ACEs are associated with deficits in self-control. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW; n = 3,444) and a life course theoretical framework, this study aims to address this gap in the literature by examining the relationships between individual ACEs, cumulative ACEs, timing of ACEs, and durations of early ACEs and self-control development among youth. Our results indicate that as the number of ACEs (by age 5) experienced incrementally increases, the likelihood of reported self-control decreases. Moreover, when it comes to the timing and duration of ACE exposure, ACEs that are high but late, intermittent, or chronically high significantly decrease self-control. Based on our findings, researchers should continue to explore the role of ACEs in youth self-control development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Cross ◽  
Zachary A. Bornholdt ◽  
Abhishek N. Prasad ◽  
Viktoriya Borisevich ◽  
Krystle N. Agans ◽  
...  

AbstractMonoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and remdesivir, a small-molecule antiviral, are promising monotherapies for many viruses, including members of the genera Marburgvirus and Ebolavirus (family Filoviridae), and more recently, SARS-CoV-2. One of the major challenges of acute viral infections is the treatment of advanced disease. Thus, extending the window of therapeutic intervention is critical. Here, we explore the benefit of combination therapy with a mAb and remdesivir in a non-human primate model of Marburg virus (MARV) disease. While rhesus monkeys are protected against lethal infection when treatment with either a human mAb (MR186-YTE; 100%), or remdesivir (80%), is initiated 5 days post-inoculation (dpi) with MARV, no animals survive when either treatment is initiated alone beginning 6 dpi. However, by combining MR186-YTE with remdesivir beginning 6 dpi, significant protection (80%) is achieved, thereby extending the therapeutic window. These results suggest value in exploring combination therapy in patients presenting with advanced filovirus disease.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110063
Author(s):  
Tingting Gao ◽  
Songli Mei ◽  
Muzi Li ◽  
Carl D’ Arcy ◽  
Xiangfei Meng

Childhood maltreatment is a major public health issue worldwide. It increases a range of health-risk behaviors, psychological and physical problems, which are associated with an increased need for mental health services in adulthood. Identification of mediating factors in the relationship between maltreatment and seeking mental health care may help attenuate the negative consequences of childhood maltreatment and promote more appropriate treatment. This study aims to examine whether the relationship between childhood maltreatment and perceived need for mental health care is mediated by psychological distress and/or moderated by social support. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health 2012 are analyzed. A total of 8,993 participants, who had complete information on childhood maltreatment and diagnoses of mental disorders or psychological distress, are included in this study. Structural equation modeling and the PROCESS macro were used to identify relationships among childhood maltreatment, perceived needs for mental health care, and psychological distress. Hierarchical linear regression was then used to verify the moderated mediation model. We found that psychological distress partially mediated the effect of childhood maltreatment on perceived needs for mental health care in adulthood. Social support played an important role in terms of moderating the relationship between maltreatment and perceived needs for care. For those with a history of childhood maltreatment, those who perceived a low level of social support were more likely to have higher levels of psychological distress and perceived need for mental health care. This is the first study to identify the separate and combined roles of psychological distress and social support in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and perceived need for mental health care. Selective prevention strategies should focus on social support to improve mental health services among people with a history of childhood maltreatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 398-405
Author(s):  
Takuma Ofuchi ◽  
Aye Myat Myat Zaw ◽  
Bang-on Thepthien

Currently, e-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and dual use in a sample of adolescents in Bangkok, Thailand. The sample comprises 6167 students from 48 schools (grades 9, 11, and vocational year 2) who participated in the 2019 round of the Behavior Surveillance Survey. History of 11 ACEs was used to calculate a cumulative ACE score (range 0-11). Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between history of ACEs and smoking. In the sample, 7.0% reported using e-cigarettes only and 9.5% used e-cigarettes and cigarettes (dual use). After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, history of ACEs was associated with increased odds of dual use. The odds of cigarette, e-cigarette, and dual use was significantly greater if the adolescent had a history of ≥4 ACEs. Special attention is needed to prevent smoking of different types among those with a history of ACEs.


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