TY - JOUR
T1 - Beyond the dyad
T2 - the role of mother and father in newborns’ global DNA methylation during the first month of life—a pilot study
AU - Pellicano, Gaia Romana
AU - Carola, Valeria
AU - Bussone, Silvia
AU - Cecchini, Marco
AU - Tambelli, Renata
AU - Lai, Carlo
N1 - Funding Information:
The study was financially supported by Sapienza University (Progetto di Ateneo 2016). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors would like to thank Laura Boccardi for her support in the data collection and all the families and newborn infants that took part in the study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - The study aimed to longitudinally explore the effects of parental prenatal attachment and psychopathological symptomatology on neonatal global DNA methylation (5-mC) variation between birth and the first month of life. Eighteen mothers and thirteen fathers were assessed before childbirth (t0) by Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Prenatal-Attachment Inventory, and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale; 48 hr after childbirth (t1) by SCL-90-R; and one month after childbirth (t2) by PSS. At t1 and t2, buccal swabs from parents and newborns were collected. In newborns’ 5-mC and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DAT, MAOA, BDNF, and 5-HTTLPR genes were detected, while in parents only SNPs were measured. At t1, newborns’ 5-mC was negatively associated with maternal psychopathological symptoms, while at t2, newborns’ 5-mC was positively associated with paternal psychopathological symptoms and negatively with paternal prenatal attachment. The variation of newborns’ 5-mC from t1 to t2 was predicted by paternal psychopathological symptoms. No significant correlations among parental SNPs and 5-mC levels were found. Results highlight parent-specific influences on newborn's DNA methylation. At birth, maternal psychological symptoms seem to have an effect on newborns’ 5-mC, while after one month of life, paternal psychological characteristics could have a specific role in modulating the newborns’ epigenetic responses to the environment.
AB - The study aimed to longitudinally explore the effects of parental prenatal attachment and psychopathological symptomatology on neonatal global DNA methylation (5-mC) variation between birth and the first month of life. Eighteen mothers and thirteen fathers were assessed before childbirth (t0) by Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Prenatal-Attachment Inventory, and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale; 48 hr after childbirth (t1) by SCL-90-R; and one month after childbirth (t2) by PSS. At t1 and t2, buccal swabs from parents and newborns were collected. In newborns’ 5-mC and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DAT, MAOA, BDNF, and 5-HTTLPR genes were detected, while in parents only SNPs were measured. At t1, newborns’ 5-mC was negatively associated with maternal psychopathological symptoms, while at t2, newborns’ 5-mC was positively associated with paternal psychopathological symptoms and negatively with paternal prenatal attachment. The variation of newborns’ 5-mC from t1 to t2 was predicted by paternal psychopathological symptoms. No significant correlations among parental SNPs and 5-mC levels were found. Results highlight parent-specific influences on newborn's DNA methylation. At birth, maternal psychological symptoms seem to have an effect on newborns’ 5-mC, while after one month of life, paternal psychological characteristics could have a specific role in modulating the newborns’ epigenetic responses to the environment.
KW - DNA methylation
KW - epigenetics
KW - maternal psychopathology
KW - newborn infants
KW - paternal psychopathology
KW - prenatal attachment
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U2 - 10.1002/dev.22072
DO - 10.1002/dev.22072
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85097908774
JO - Developmental Psychobiology
JF - Developmental Psychobiology
SN - 0012-1630
ER -