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Cited by 67Child Abuse and TraumaEpigenetics and DNA MethylationMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Adverse childhood experiences, posttraumatic stress, and FKBP5 methylation patterns in postpartum women and their newborn infants

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Grasso, Damion J., Drury, Stacy, Briggs-Gowan, Margaret, Johnson, Amy, Ford, Julian, Lapidus, Garry, Scranton, Victoria, Abreu, Christine +1 more·2020·Psychoneuroendocrinology
DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104604PMC PMC7096279
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Abstract

Background Genetic variation and epigenetic mechanisms involving the stress-related gene FKBP5 have been implicated in the intergenerational transmission of trauma-related effects in adult offspring of trauma-exposed caregivers, but these processes have not been fully explored in postpartum women and their newborn infants.Methods Women recruited from a prenatal care clinic during their third trimester of pregnancy (N = 114) completed a battery of instruments assessing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), adversity in adulthood, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, negative emotional state, and emotion dysregulation. FKBP5 rs1360780 genotype and intron 7 methylation were derived from saliva collected from postpartum mothers and their newborn infants within 24 h of delivery.Results Allele-specific associations of methylation with maternal ACEs and prenatal trauma-related symptoms were evident; however, relations differed between mothers and newborns. In mothers carrying the stress sensitive T-allele (CT and TT genotypes), maternal FKBP5 methylation negatively correlated with threat-based ACEs and maternal PTSD symptoms during pregnancy, but not deprivation-based ACEs. In infants homozygous for the C allele (CC genotype), infant FKBP5 methylation positively correlated with maternal threat-based ACEs and prenatal PTSD symptom severity, but not deprivation-based ACEs or adversity in adulthood.Conclusions Our results provide evidence that links maternal threat-based ACEs and trauma-related symptoms during pregnancy with allele-specific epigenetic patterns in postpartum women and their newborn infants. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the potential intergenerational impact of ACEs and the effect of maternal PTSD symptoms during pregnancy.

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  • Of the five studies that measured FKBP5 DNA methylation, three found lower methylation in the offspring of exposed parents, one found higher methylation, and another reported no association.

    “Of the five studies that measured FKBP5 DNA methylation, three found lower methylation in the offspring of exposed parents [83,94,99], one found an opposite association with higher methylation [103], and another reported no association [88].”

    From Biological Embedding of Early-Life Adversity and a Scoping Review of the Evidence for Intergenerational Epigenetic Transmission of Stress and Trauma in Humans (2023) · cites this paper as [103]

  • Multiple human studies have indicated that traumas such as combat exposure, forced displacement, genocide exposure, and low maternal bonding may be passed on inter-generationally, and have been associated with both psychopathology in children and DNA methylation in the FKBP5 gene.

    “Multiple human studies have indicated that traumas such as combat exposure, forced displacement, genocide exposure, and low maternal bonding may be passed on inter-generationally, and have been associated with both psychopathology in children and DNA methylation in the FKBP5 gene.45,46”

    From The role of epigenetics in psychological resilience (2021) · cites this paper as [45]

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  1. [42]McTeague L, Lang P, Bradley M, Cuthbert B, Keil A. Defensive hyper-versus hypo-reactivity: the intersection of fear and distress in the anxiety disorder spectrum. In: Psychophysiology. Vol 54; 2017: S6-- S6.

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Authors
Grasso, D. J., Drury, S., Briggs-Gowan, M., Johnson, A., Ford, J., Lapidus, G., Scranton, V., Abreu, C., & Covault, J.
Affiliations
  • University of Connecticut (US)
  • Tulane University (US)
  • Hartford Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Grasso, Damion J.
ORCID
Venue
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-04
Volume
114
Pages
104604
ISSN
0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104604
PMC
PMC7096279
OpenAlex
W3005385122
Cited by
65
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 2
FWCI
3.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Keywords
adverse childhood experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder, FKBP5, DNA methylation, epigenetics, intergenerational trauma, postpartum women, neonates, prenatal trauma, emotional dysregulation, maternal emotional state
MeSH terms
Psychological Trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Tacrolimus Binding Protein 5, Adolescent, Adult, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Severity of Illness Index, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, DNA Methylation, Tacrolimus Binding Proteins, Epigenesis, Genetic, Postpartum Period, Young Adult

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