Abstract summary 

Multiple, chronic and repeated trauma exposure in childhood is associated with adverse mental health outcomes in adulthood. In this paper we synthesise the literature on epigenetic modifications in childhood trauma (CT) and the mediating effects of differential epigenetic mechanisms on the association between CT and the later onset of psychiatric disorders. We reviewed the literature up to March 2018 in four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCOhost and SCOPUS. Non-human studies were excluded. All studies investigating CT exposure both in healthy adults (18years and older) and adults with psychiatric disorders were included. Thirty-six publications were included. For mood disorders, methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene, specifically at the binding site in exon 1F, and correlation with CT was a robust finding. Several studies documented differential methylation of , and in association with CT. Common pathways identified include neuronal functioning and maintenance, immune and inflammatory processes, chromatin and histone modification, and transcription factor binding. A variety of epigenetic mediators that lie on a common pathway between CT and psychiatric disorders have been identified, although longitudinal studies and consistency in methodological approach are needed to disentangle cause and effect associations.

Authors & Co-authors:  Nöthling Jani J Malan-Müller Stefanie S Abrahams Naeemah N Hemmings Sian Megan Joanna SMJ Seedat Soraya S

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source