Childhood maltreatment and stress-related psychopathology: the epigenetic memory hypothesis.
Title | Childhood maltreatment and stress-related psychopathology: the epigenetic memory hypothesis. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2015 |
Authors | Lutz P-E, Almeida D, Fiori LM, Turecki G |
Journal | Curr Pharm Des |
Volume | 21 |
Issue | 11 |
Pagination | 1413-7 |
Date Published | 2015 |
ISSN | 1873-4286 |
Abstract | Childhood maltreatment (CM) is all too frequent among western societies, with an estimated prevalence of 10 to 15%. CM associates with increased risk of several psychiatric disorders, and therefore represents a worrying public and socioeconomic burden. While associated clinical outcomes are well characterized, determining by which mechanisms early-life adverse experiences affect mental health over the lifespan is a major challenge. Epigenetic mechanisms, in particular DNA methylation, represent a form of molecular memory that may modify brain function over extended periods of time, as well as serve as a bio-marker of behavioral phenotypes associated with CM. Here, we review human studies suggesting that DNA methylation is a crucial substrate mediating neurobiological consequences of CM throughout life, thereby potentiating maladaptive behavioral patterns and psychopathological risk. |
Alternate Journal | Curr. Pharm. Des. |
PubMed ID | 25564388 |