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Prenatal and Early Postnatal Influences on Neurodevelopment: The Role of Epigenetics

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Adolescent Health and Wellbeing

Abstract

The human brain develops through a sophisticated process that starts a few weeks after conception and reaches its completion 20–30 years later. Changes that take place over this timeframe are of primary importance, as they constitute the “hardware” of the adult brain. Both genetic and environmental factors are crucial for brain development. In particular, brain sensitivity to the environment is maximum during prenatal and early postnatal life, when brain undergoes most of its development and is extremely vulnerable to both organizing and disorganizing experiences. The quality of prenatal and early postnatal environment may then influence the trajectory of neuronal development and contribute to shape the developing brain, thus producing long-lasting effects on behavior. Epigenetic changes have been reported to represent the molecular mechanisms by which the early environment modulates the expression of genes, including NR3C1, CRH, and 11-Beta-HSD2 involved in the HPA axis activity, or BDNF and SLC6A4 implicated in neurogenesis and serotonin neurotransmission, whose activity is crucial for normal brain development. However, the brain continues to mature during adolescence, when a reorganization of the highest order associative areas occurs by an intense synaptic pruning. Adolescence, therefore, represents a time window during which the consequences of early stress exposure can be counteracted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Veronica Mariotti & Silvia Pellegrini

  2. Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Care, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Sara Palumbo

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  1. Veronica Mariotti
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  2. Sara Palumbo
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  1. Clinical Physiology Institute, CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy

    Alessandro Pingitore

  2. Clinical Physiology Institute, CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy

    Francesca Mastorci

  3. Fondazione G. Monasterio, Via Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy

    Cristina Vassalle

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Mariotti, V., Palumbo, S., Pellegrini, S. (2019). Prenatal and Early Postnatal Influences on Neurodevelopment: The Role of Epigenetics. In: Pingitore, A., Mastorci, F., Vassalle, C. (eds) Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25816-0_6

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