TY - JOUR
T1 - Early life adversity, genomic plasticity, and psychopathology
AU - Turecki, Gustavo
AU - Ota, Vanessa Kiyomi
AU - Belangero, Sintia Iole
AU - Jackowski, Andrea
AU - Kaufman, Joan
N1 - Funding Information:
GT is supported by grants from the Canadian Institute of Health Research MOP93775, MOP11260, MOP119429, and MOP119430; from the National Institutes of Health 1R01DA033684-01; and by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec–Santé through a Chercheur National salary award and through the Quebec Network on Suicide, Mood Disorders and Related Disorders.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2014/11/1
Y1 - 2014/11/1
N2 - Child maltreatment is associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, and a range of health problems later in life. Research suggests that adverse events early in life can lead to changes in gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms that alter stress reactivity, brain function, and behaviour. Although epigenetic changes are often long lasting, they can be reversed with pharmacological and environmental manipulations. The complexity of the epigenome is not fully understood. The aim of this Review is to assess emerging data for the role of epigenetic mechanisms in stress-related psychiatric disorders with a focus on future research. We describe the epigenetic processes, key findings in this specialty, clinical implications of research, and methodological issues. Studies are needed to investigate new epigenetic processes other than methylation and assess the efficacy of interventions to reverse epigenetic processes associated with the effects of early life adversity.
AB - Child maltreatment is associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, and a range of health problems later in life. Research suggests that adverse events early in life can lead to changes in gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms that alter stress reactivity, brain function, and behaviour. Although epigenetic changes are often long lasting, they can be reversed with pharmacological and environmental manipulations. The complexity of the epigenome is not fully understood. The aim of this Review is to assess emerging data for the role of epigenetic mechanisms in stress-related psychiatric disorders with a focus on future research. We describe the epigenetic processes, key findings in this specialty, clinical implications of research, and methodological issues. Studies are needed to investigate new epigenetic processes other than methylation and assess the efficacy of interventions to reverse epigenetic processes associated with the effects of early life adversity.
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U2 - 10.1016/S2215-0366(14)00022-4
DO - 10.1016/S2215-0366(14)00022-4
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:84920158865
SN - 2215-0366
VL - 1
SP - 461
EP - 466
JO - The Lancet Psychiatry
JF - The Lancet Psychiatry
IS - 6
ER -