The Mother-Infant Nexus Revealed by Linear Enamel Hypoplasia: Chronological and Contextual Evaluation of Developmental Stress Using Incremental Microstructures of Enamel in Late/Final Jomon Period Hunter-Gatherers

2019 ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
Daniel H. Temple
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Contextual Evaluation

Can linear enamel hypoplasia be used as a novel welfare indicator in pigs?

2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 40-40
Author(s):  
E. Genever ◽  
K. Dobney ◽  
D.M. Broom
Keyword(s):  
Stressful Life Event ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Environmental Stressors ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Welfare Indicator ◽  
Calcified Tissue ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Incremental Lines

Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) produces abnormal incremental lines or depressions in teeth enamel caused by a deficiency in the growth of calcified tissue. The depth and width of the LEH events can indicate the severity and duration of a stressful life event. LEH can be used to investigate developmental stress, as it will occur when the individual is unable to cope with environmental stressors during development, such as food shortage, pathological challenge or other stressful events. The LEH technique has been used by zoo-archaeologists to obtain information on early domestication and husbandry practices in ancient populations of pigs, where high levels of LEH have been found to correspond to birth and weaning. The objective of this work was to investigate if LEH was present in modern pigs and whether it could be used as a welfare indicator.

scholarly journals Stress, sex, and plague: patterns of developmental stress and survival in pre- and post-Black Death London

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon DeWitte
Keyword(s):  
Pubertal Timing ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Black Death ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Stress Markers ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Before And After

OBJECTIVES: Previous research revealed declines in survivorship in London before the Black Death (c. 1346-1353), and improvements in survivorship following the epidemic. These trends indicate that there were declines in general levels of health before the Black Death and improvements thereof afterwards. This study expands on previous research by examining whether changes in survivorship were consistent between the sexes, and how patterns of developmental stress markers changed before and after the Black Death.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study uses samples from London cemeteries dated to one of three periods: Early Pre-Black Death (1000-1200 AD, n = 255), Late Pre-Black Death (1200-1250 AD, n = 247), or Post-Black Death (1350-1540 AD n = 329). Temporal trends in survivorship are assessed via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and trends in tibial length (as a proxy for stature) and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) are assessed using t-tests and Chi-square tests, respectively.RESULTS: Survivorship for both sexes decreased before the Black Death and increased afterwards. For males, LEH frequencies increased and stature decreased before the epidemic, and LEH declined and stature increased after the Black Death. For females, the only significant change with respect to developmental stress markers was a decrease in stature after the Black Death.CONCLUSIONS: These results might reflect variation between the sexes in sensitivity to stressors, the effects of nutrition on pubertal timing, disproportionate access to dietary resources for males in the aftermath of the Black Death, the disproportionate deaths of frail individuals during the epidemic, or some combination of these factors.

scholarly journals Developmental stress in South African hominins: Comparison of recurrent enamel hypoplasias in Australopithecus africanus and Homo naledi

2019 ◽  
Vol 115 (5/6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark F. Skinner
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Enamel Defects ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Anterior Teeth ◽  
Equatorial Africa ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Digital Microscope

Discovery of a new hominin (Homo naledi) in the same geographical area as Australopithecus africanus creates the opportunity to compare developmental dental stress in higher latitude hominins with low that in latitude apes, among whom repetitive linear enamel hypoplasia (rLEH) recurs seasonally at about 6 or 12 months. In contrast to equatorial Africa, a single rainy/dry cycle occurs annually in non-coastal southern Africa. It is predicted that LEH will recur annually but not differ in duration between ancient and more recent hominins. Data were collected from epoxy casts of anterior teeth attributed to H. naledi (18 incisors, 13 canines) and A. africanus (29 incisors, 8 canines) using a digital microscope, surface scanner and scanning electron microscope. The location, number, width, depth and distance between defects (including perikymata counts and spatial measurements) of 136 LEH events were compared among crown moieties (deciles 4–6 and 7–9), tooth types and taxa. Enamel defects are concentrated in the cervical half of anterior crowns, and in similar numbers in each taxon. Contrary to expectations, H. naledi show bimodal LEH durations reconstructed at about 2 and 8 weeks compared to just 4 weeks in A. africanus. Both taxa show bimodally recurrent episodes of LEH centring on 2 and, more commonly and severely, 6 months. A combination of two independent annual stressor types, one disease and one seasonal, could explain the observations. These estimations of duration and recurrence of developmental stress require evaluation using actual perikymata periodicity for H. naledi and more refined understanding of palaeoenvironments for both taxa. Significance: Seasonal stress is a central concern in the biological and health sciences. Because of the innate way that enamel is deposited, the timing of stress in the childhood of apes, modern humans and their fossil ancestors can be measured with a precision of about 1 week. Application of this method to South African Pliocene Australopithecus africanus and Mid-Pleistocene Homo naledi reveals that, unexpectedly, both forms show semi-annual stress – a finding that is tentatively attributed to two independent annual stressors, possibly disease and malnutrition.

scholarly journals Frequency and developmental timing of linear enamel hypoplasia defects in Early Archaic Texan hunter-gatherers

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4367 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Colette Berbesque ◽  
Kara C. Hoover
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Archaic Period ◽  
Developmental Timing ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Early Archaic ◽  
Weaning Stress ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Weaning Age ◽  
Age Range

Digital photographs taken under controlled conditions were used to examine the incidence of linear enamel hypoplasia defects (LEHs) in burials from the Buckeye Knoll archaeological site (41VT98 Victoria county, Texas), which spans the Early to Late Archaic Period (ca. 2,500–6,500 BP uncorrected radiocarbon). The majority (68 of 74 burials) date to the Texas Early Archaic, including one extremely early burial dated to 8,500 BP. The photogrammetric data collection method also results in an archive for Buckeye Knoll, a significant rare Archaic period collection that has been repatriated and reinterred. We analyzed the incidence and developmental timing of LEHs in permanent canines. Fifty-nine percent of permanent canines (n = 54) had at least one defect. There were no significant differences in LEH frequency between the maxillary and mandibular canines (U = 640.5, n1 = 37, n2 = 43, p = .110). The sample studied (n = 92 permanent canines) had an overall mean of 0.93 LEH defect per tooth, with a median of one defect, and a mode of zero defects. Average age at first insult was 3.92 (median = 4.00, range = 2.5–5.4) and the mean age of all insults per individual was 4.18 years old (range = 2.5–5.67). Age at first insult is consistent with onset of weaning stress—the weaning age range for hunter-gatherer societies is 1–4.5. Having an earlier age of first insult was associated with having more LEHs (n = 54, rho = −0.381, p = 0.005).

scholarly journals An assessment of linear enamel hypoplasia defects in Early Archaic Texan hunter-gatherers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Colette Berbesque ◽  
Kara C Hoover
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Archaic Period ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Late Archaic ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Early Archaic ◽  
Weaning Stress ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Weaning Age ◽  
Age Range

Digital photographs taken under controlled conditions were used to examine the incidence of linear enamel hypoplasia defects (LEHs) in burials from the Buckeye Knoll archaeological site (41VT98 Victoria county, Texas), which spans the Early to Late Archaic Period (ca. 2500-6500 BP uncorrected radiocarbon). The majority (68 of 74 burials) date to the Texas Early Archaic, including one extremely early burial dated to 8,500 BP. The photogrammetric data collection method also results in an archive for Buckeye Knoll, a significant rare Archaic period collection that has been repatriated and reinterred. We analyzed the incidence and developmental timing of LEHs in permanent canines. Fifty-nine percent of permanent canines (n = 54) had at least one defect. There were no significant differences in LEH frequency between the maxillary and mandibular canines (U = 640.5, n1 = 37, n2 = 43, p = .110). The sample studied (n=92) had an overall mean of 0.93 LEH defect per tooth, with a median of one defect, and a mode of zero defects. Average age at first insult was 3.92 (median = 4.00, range = 2.5 – 5.4) and the mean age of all insults per individual was 4.18 years old (range = 2.5 - 5.67). Age at first insult is consistent with onset of weaning stress—the weaning age range for hunter-gatherer societies is 1- 4.5. Having an earlier age of first insult was associated with having more LEHs (n = 54, rho = -0.381, p = 0.005).

scholarly journals Enamel Hypoplasia Related to Historical Famine Stress in the Contemporary Chinese Population

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
Liming Zhou ◽  
Robert S. Corruccini
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Chinese Population ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Enamel Formation ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Contemporary Chinese

Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), a defect in enamel formation, has been frequently attributed to malnutrition and other physiological stress during periods of enamel development (Sarnat and Schour, 1941; Kreshover, 1960). LEH has been widely used as an indicator of developmental stress in skeletal studies among historic and prehistoric populations (Goodman et al., 1980; Corruccini et al., 1985; Goodman and Rose, 1990). A study of 3,014 subjects in 26 birth-year cohorts, samples from urban and rural communities of China, indicated that significant differences in LEH frequencies occurred between persons whose teeth developed during the famine years (1959-1961) and those whoe teeth calcified during non-famine years. This result points to a causal link between enamel hypoplasia and childhood nutritional stress at the population level, and casts some light on the magnitude and effects of the little-documented Chinese famine. 

scholarly journals An assessment of linear enamel hypoplasia defects in Early Archaic Texan hunter-gatherers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Colette Berbesque ◽  
Kara C Hoover
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Archaic Period ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Late Archaic ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Early Archaic ◽  
Weaning Stress ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Weaning Age ◽  
Age Range

Digital photographs taken under controlled conditions were used to examine the incidence of linear enamel hypoplasia defects (LEHs) in burials from the Buckeye Knoll archaeological site (41VT98 Victoria county, Texas), which spans the Early to Late Archaic Period (ca. 2500-6500 BP uncorrected radiocarbon). The majority (68 of 74 burials) date to the Texas Early Archaic, including one extremely early burial dated to 8,500 BP. The photogrammetric data collection method also results in an archive for Buckeye Knoll, a significant rare Archaic period collection that has been repatriated and reinterred. We analyzed the incidence and developmental timing of LEHs in permanent canines. Fifty-nine percent of permanent canines (n = 54) had at least one defect. There were no significant differences in LEH frequency between the maxillary and mandibular canines (U = 640.5, n1 = 37, n2 = 43, p = .110). The sample studied (n=92) had an overall mean of 0.93 LEH defect per tooth, with a median of one defect, and a mode of zero defects. Average age at first insult was 3.92 (median = 4.00, range = 2.5 – 5.4) and the mean age of all insults per individual was 4.18 years old (range = 2.5 - 5.67). Age at first insult is consistent with onset of weaning stress—the weaning age range for hunter-gatherer societies is 1- 4.5. Having an earlier age of first insult was associated with having more LEHs (n = 54, rho = -0.381, p = 0.005).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document