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Psychosocial Impact of Epigenetics in Pediatrics

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Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics

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Abstract

Psychosocial stress has pervasive influences on our lives. Both human and experimental animal studies demonstrate that psychosocial stressor exposures experienced during early (prenatal and infant) life can modify risks for health deterioration and disease in later life. In many cases, adapting to stress can lead to resilience and strengthen the organism, but chronic or severe stress often has harmful, maladaptive consequences. Chronic malnutrition, changes in social conditions, and adverse early life experiences can program phenotypes and contribute to long-lasting disease risk. A growing body of evidence indicates that epigenetic mechanisms play a major role in the biological response to psychosocial stresses. In this chapter, we summarize current knowledge on epigenetic changes in response to psychosocial stressors in the pediatric age group. We focus on epigenetic mechanisms, in particular DNA methylation, as molecular mechanisms that link psychosocial stress and health consequences, and discuss common epigenetic effector pathways during psychosocial stressors at different stages in development.

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Abbreviations

AL:

Allostatic load

BDNF:

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

CRH:

Corticotropin-releasing hormone

DOHaD:

Developmental origins of health and disease

FKBP5:

FK506 binding protein 5

GC:

Glucocorticoid

GR:

Glucocorticoid receptor

HPA:

Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal

LBW:

Low birth weight

ncRNAs:

Noncoding RNAs

NR3C1:

Nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1

PTSD:

Posttraumatic stress disorder

SES:

Socioeconomic status

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA

    Xiaoming Gong

  2. Departments of Pediatrics and Biomedical Sciences, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA

    Lewis P. Rubin

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  1. Xiaoming Gong
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Correspondence to Lewis P. Rubin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Research Division, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

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Gong, X., Rubin, L.P. (2019). Psychosocial Impact of Epigenetics in Pediatrics. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_100

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_100

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