Maltreatment and Epigenetic Aging in Infants – A DNA Methylation Analysis Restricted; Files Only
Visbal, Jay (Fall 2022)
Abstract
Background: Research into the relationship between trauma and future health outcomes is being explored across a wide range of biological pathways. Studies have shown that increasing divergence between epigenetic age and chronological age in adults is associated with age-related disease outcomes in adults. In adolescents, certain types of trauma have been shown to be associated with increased epigenetic aging. We wanted to better understand whether early life exposure to maltreatment could result in a similar increase in epigenetic aging in pediatric populations as it does in adult and adolescent populations.
Methods: We explored whether physical trauma or a context of psychosocial adversity are associated with increased epigenetic aging in 65 pediatric patients brought to Emergency rooms with physical injuries. DNAm levels were measured in buccal epithelial cells using the skin-blood and PedBE epigenetic clocks to estimate epigenetic age. We regressed these epigenetic age predictions on chronological age. Age acceleration was defined as the residuals extracted from this linear model. Increased deviation from the predicted value of the model indicated increasing epigenetic age acceleration.
Results and Discussion:
Our results suggest that intentionally abusive injury and psychosocial risk factors do not correlate with increased epigenetic aging. However, using the PedBE clock, fatal physical injury was found to be associated with increased epigenetic aging. These preliminary results are contrary to prior research which may be due to the very early age of the participants or the small size of the study population. Nonetheless, the broader epigenetic ageing process may be one of the many biological pathways perturbed by exposure to physical or emotional maltreatment. And this process may be observable very rapidly after initial exposure.
Table of Contents
Introduction - 1
Epidemiology of Child Abuse and Psychosocial Adversity - 1
Later Health Outcomes Associated with Abuse/Psychosocial Adversity - 3
Epigenetics and Epigenetic Age - 3
Research Gap Filled and Objectives of this Study - 5
Methods - 7
Cohort - 7
Defining Abusive versus Accidental Injury - 7
Psychosocial Adversity - 8
Measurement of DNA methylation and Epigenetic Age - 8
Statistical Analysis - 9
Results - 9
Discussion - 11
References - 14
Tables and Figures - 20
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File download under embargo until 18 May 2025 | 2022-12-01 13:30:02 -0500 | File download under embargo until 18 May 2025 |
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