Summary: New research from the University of Delaware shows that, in male animals, certain medications given at the time of early-life mistreatment can prevent or reduce epigenetic marks and improve later behavior. These benefits have not yet been observed in females, highlighting the importance of sex-specific research and treatments.
Source: University of Delaware.
Early-life adversity can leave long-lasting biological and behavioral effects. New laboratory work suggests targeted interventions may reduce those effects, at least in males.
Neuroscientist Tania Roth and her laboratory at the University of Delaware are exploring how mistreatment during early life produces durable changes in the brain and behavior, and whether those changes can be prevented or reversed. Their work was featured as a “hot topic” by the Society for Neuroscience at Neuroscience 2017, one of the largest international gatherings of researchers in the field.
Roth, along with graduate student Tiffany Doherty and undergraduate contributors Johanna Chajes and Lauren Reich, presented these findings at a poster session during the conference. The team’s studies build on prior evidence that early adversity leaves epigenetic marks—chemical modifications to DNA or its associated proteins that alter gene activity without changing the genetic code—and that these marks are associated with altered behavior and increased risk for psychiatric disorders.
The laboratory’s recent experiments show that delivering certain drugs at the time the adverse experience occurs can prevent or reduce epigenetic changes and associated behavioral problems in males. Those same treatments have not yet produced the same benefit in females, a difference that underscores how biological sex can shape both the impact of early stress and the response to treatment.
“We believe similar benefits can be achieved in females,” Roth said, noting that female subjects may require different compounds or dosing strategies. The laboratory already has preliminary leads that suggest additional approaches could restore healthy epigenetic patterns in females as well.
This line of research focuses on establishing a causal chain from childhood adversity to specific epigenetic marks and then to behavioral outcomes. One epigenetic mechanism the team measures is DNA methylation, a biochemical modification that can reduce the activity of affected genes. In their studies, changes in DNA methylation have been observed at the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (Bdnf), a gene important for neural development and plasticity.
Roth’s group first documented these effects in rodent models. For example, when mother rodents lacked adequate nesting materials, the resulting stress influenced maternal behavior in ways that mistreated pups. Those pups later displayed epigenetic alterations and behavioral dysfunctions, some of which only became apparent in adulthood. By testing treatments administered during the adverse period, the team has demonstrated that it is possible to blunt the formation of some epigenetic marks and reduce downstream behavioral problems in males.
The research also includes collaboration with University of Delaware Professor Mary Dozier, an expert on child development who studies how early adversity affects young children. Together, the researchers are analyzing the same DNA markers in human studies and evaluating whether targeted interventions can change those epigenetic signatures and improve outcomes.
These findings carry potential implications for public health: early-life adversity is common and can have persistent effects. For example, Centers for Disease Control data indicate hundreds of thousands of reports of child abuse and neglect in a single year, underscoring the scale of the problem. Research that clarifies biological mechanisms and identifies effective interventions could inform strategies to reduce the long-term burden of early trauma on individuals and families.
Roth is recognized as a leading researcher in behavioral epigenetics, contributing important evidence about how environmental experiences alter gene regulation and behavior. Her work points to both the promise and the complexity of developing therapies that target epigenetic processes, including the need to account for sex-specific responses.
Source: Peter Bothum – University of Delaware
Publisher: NeuroscienceNews.com
Image Source: Image in the public domain.
Original Research: Findings were presented at Neuroscience 2017.
MLA: University of Delaware. “New Therapy Lessens Impact of Early Age Mistreatment.” NeuroscienceNews. 17 November 2017.
APA: University of Delaware (2017, November 17). New Therapy Lessens Impact of Early Age Mistreatment. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
Chicago: University of Delaware. “New Therapy Lessens Impact of Early Age Mistreatment.” NeuroscienceNews. Accessed November 17, 2017.