Medical Genetics | Neurobiology of Disease & Regeneration | Neurodevelopment | Psychological Challenges & Issues for Women | Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Antenatal depression, infants' neurobehavioural development and global DNA methylation in umbilical-cord blood
Elana Ying Mystal*, A Rialdi, L Lambertini, J Chen, Y Nomura
*Corresponding author: Elana Ying Mystal
Neuropsychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
F1000Posters 2012, 3: 787 (poster) [English]
Poster [1.24 MB]
Presented at
New York Academy of Sciences 2012 - Fetal Programming and Environmental Exposures: Implications for Prenatal Care and Pre-Term Birth,
11 - 12 Jun 2012, 16
Previous studies indicate that in utero exposure to maternal depression during pregnancy can have lasting influences on fetal global methylation levels. It is still not known whether global methylation in umbilical-cord blood can be viewed as epigenetic markers for neurobehavioral development in infants.
Infants of depressed mothers may be more vulnerable to suboptimal epigenetic changes. Maternal antenatal depression appears to modify the association between the global methylation expressed in umbilical-cord blood and temperament among infants. Global methylation levels in umbilical cord blood may be a promising tool for predicting temperaments in infants.
Expansion of sample size for a more comprehensive data analysis. Further investigation of global methylation data against longitudinal infant developmental measures. Maternal global methylation data can be analyzed against infant umbilical-cord blood methylation to explain the possible pathways between maternal depression and longitudinal infant temperamental development.
No relevant competing interests disclosed.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), K01MH080062
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), K01MH080062S
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