Table 2 Summary of epidemiological findings for a potential epigenetic link between early life stressful conditions and disease in later life
Condition/exposure | Stage | Gene/element | Epigenetic outcome | Tissue/cells | Age at detection | Function/pathway | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maternal depression | Prenatal | NR3C1 1F | Hypermethylation | Blood | Neonate, infant | Stress reactivity | |
| Â | Prenatal | BDNF IV | Hypomethylation | Blood | Infant | Neuronal maturation | [53] |
| Â | Prenatal | MWAS | Differential DNA methylation | T lymphocytes, hippocampal tissues | Neonate, adult | Immune system functions | [54] |
Low SES | Childhood | MWAS | Differential DNA methylation | Blood | Adult | Metabolism, cell signaling | [59] |
| Â | Childhood | CREB/ATF gene family NR3C1 | Upregulation downregulation | Saliva | Adult | Inflammatory response stress reactivity | [60] |
Child abuse or neglect | Childhood | MWAS | Differential DNA methylation | Hippocampal neurons | Adult | Cellular/neuronal plasticity | [62] |
| Â | Childhood | MWAS | Differential DNA methylation | Blood | Adult | Development, regulation of transcription | [63] |
| Â | Childhood | MWAS | Differential DNA methylation | T lymphocytes | Adult | Aggressive behavior | [64] |
| Â | Childhood | rRNA promoter | Hypermethylation | Postmortem hippocampus | Adult suicide victims | Ribosomal functioning | [65] |
| Â | Childhood | NR3C1 | Downregulation | Postmortem hippocampus | Adult suicide victims | Stress reactivity | [66] |
| Â | Childhood | NR3C1 1F | Hypermethylation | Postmortem hippocampus | Adult suicide victims | Stress reactivity | [67] |
| Â | Childhood | NR3C1 1F | Hypermethylation | Peripheral blood | Adult | Stress reactivity | [68] |
|  | Childhood | MWAS | Differential DNA methylation | T cells | 7–14 years | Inflammatory/immune responses | [71] |
|  | Childhood | NR3C1 | Hypermethylation | Blood | 5–10 years | Stress reactivity | [71] |
| Â | Childhood | NR3C1 promoter | Hypermethylation | Leukocytes | Adult | Stress reactivity | [72] |