Early Caregiving Adversity Differentially Shapes Behavioral Sensitivity to Reward and Risk during Decision-Making

Cognitive systems that track, update, and utilize information about reward (consequences) and risk (uncertainty) are critical for adaptive decision-making as well as everyday functioning and wellbeing. However, little is known about what shapes individual differences in reward and risk sensitivity, independent of each other, during decision-making. Here, we investigate the impact of early life experience—a potent sculptor of development—on behavioral sensitivity to reward and risk. We administered a widely used decision-making paradigm to 62 adolescents and young adults exposed to early life adversity in the form of institutional orphanage care and 81 comparison individuals. Leveraging random coefficient regression and computational modeling, we observed that previously institutionalized individuals displayed general reward hyposensitivity, contributing to a decreased propensity for adaptive decision-making relative to comparison individuals (e.g., when prospective rewards are high). By contrast, group differences in risk sensitivity were selectively observed on loss, but not gain, trials. These results are the first to independently and explicitly link early experiences to reward and risk sensitivity during decision-making. As such, they lay the groundwork for therapeutic efforts to identify and treat adversity-exposed individuals at risk for psychiatric disorders characterized by aberrant decision-making processes.

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Maternal separation in rodents: a journey from gut to brain and nutritional perspectives

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665119000958 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 113-132 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Marion Rincel ◽

Muriel Darnaudéry

Keyword(s):

Life Stress ◽

Early Life ◽

Maternal Separation ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Early Life Stress ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Critical Window ◽

Beneficial Impact ◽

The Impact

The developmental period constitutes a critical window of sensitivity to stress. Indeed, early-life adversity increases the risk to develop psychiatric diseases, but also gastrointestinal disorders such as the irritable bowel syndrome at adulthood. In the past decade, there has been huge interest in the gut–brain axis, especially as regards stress-related emotional behaviours. Animal models of early-life adversity, in particular, maternal separation (MS) in rodents, demonstrate lasting deleterious effects on both the gut and the brain. Here, we review the effects of MS on both systems with a focus on stress-related behaviours. In addition, we discuss more recent findings showing the impact of gut-directed interventions, including nutrition with pre- and probiotics, illustrating the role played by gut microbiota in mediating the long-term effects of MS. Overall, preclinical studies suggest that nutritional approaches with pro- and prebiotics may constitute safe and efficient strategies to attenuate the effects of early-life stress on the gut–brain axis. Further research is required to understand the complex mechanisms underlying gut–brain interaction dysfunctions after early-life stress as well as to determine the beneficial impact of gut-directed strategies in a context of early-life adversity in human subjects.

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Inflammatory and Epigenetic Pathways for Perinatal Depression

Biological Research For Nursing ◽

10.1177/1099800415614892 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 331-343 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Lindsey Garfield ◽

Herbert L. Mathews ◽

Linda Witek Janusek

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Infant Health ◽

Perinatal Depression ◽

Life Experiences ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Increased Risk ◽

History Of ◽

The Impact

Depression during the perinatal period is common and can have adverse consequences for women and their children. Yet, the biobehavioral mechanisms underlying perinatal depression are not known. Adverse early life experiences increase the risk for adult depression. One potential mechanism by which this increased risk occurs is epigenetic embedding of inflammatory pathways. The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual model that explicates the linkage between early life adversity and the risk for maternal depression. The model posits that early life adversity embeds a proinflammatory epigenetic signature (altered DNA methylation) that predisposes vulnerable women to depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period. As proposed, women with a history of early life adversity are more likely to exhibit higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines and lower levels of oxytocin in response to the demands of pregnancy and new motherhood, both of which are associated with the risk for perinatal depression. The model is designed to guide investigations into the biobehavioral basis for perinatal depression, with emphasis upon the impact of early life adversity. Testing this model will provide a better understanding of maternal depressive risk and improve identification of vulnerable women who would benefit from targeted interventions that can reduce the impact of perinatal depression on maternal–infant health.

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Early-Life Adversity and Dysregulation of Adult Diurnal Cortisol Rhythm

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gby097 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 74 (1) ◽

pp. 160-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Arun S Karlamangla ◽

Sharon Stein Merkin ◽

David M Almeida ◽

Esther M Friedman ◽

Jacqueline A Mogle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Parental Education ◽

Dynamic Range ◽

Family Welfare ◽

Cortisol Secretion ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Diurnal Cortisol ◽

Welfare Dependence ◽

The Impact ◽

Diurnal Dynamic

Abstract Objectives Exposure to life stresses can lead to diminution in the capacity of stress response systems to mount a robust response to new challenges, with blunting of dynamic range—the spread between maximal attainable and minimal resting levels. We investigate the association between early-life adversity and the dynamic range of adult diurnal cortisol secretion. Method In 35- to 86-year-old adults, cortisol assayed from 16 saliva samples over 4 consecutive days was used to compute diurnal dynamic range and area under the curve (AUC). Economic adversity in childhood was indexed by recalled parental education, family welfare dependence, and perceived financial status; and childhood social adversity by parental separation, death, and abuse. Results Adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity, both childhood adversities were strongly associated with smaller adult cortisol diurnal dynamic range, but not with AUC. The association with cortisol dynamic range was explained by adult social and economic variables. Discussion Early-life adversity appears to leave a long-term imprint on cortisol secretion dynamics, reducing diurnal dynamic range without increasing total secretion. This points to the importance of examining the adaptation capacity of physiological systems when studying the impact of early-life and chronic stresses on adult health.

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Early life adversity alters normal sex-dependent developmental dynamics of DNA methylation

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579416000833 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 28 (4pt2) ◽

pp. 1259-1272 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Renaud Massart ◽

Zsofia Nemoda ◽

Matthew J. Suderman ◽

Sheila Sutti ◽

Angela M. Ruggiero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Early Life ◽

Maternal Separation ◽

Methylation Profile ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Developmental Evolution ◽

Dna Methylation Profile ◽

Males And Females ◽

The Difference ◽

The Impact

AbstractStudies in rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans suggest that epigenetic processes mediate between early life experiences and adult phenotype. However, the normal evolution of epigenetic programs during child development, the effect of sex, and the impact of early life adversity on these trajectories are not well understood. This study mapped the genome-wide DNA methylation changes in CD3+ T lymphocytes from rhesus monkeys from postnatal day 14 through 2 years of age in both males and females and determined the impact of maternal deprivation on the DNA methylation profile. We show here that DNA methylation profiles evolve from birth to adolescence and are sex dependent. DNA methylation changes accompany imposed weaning, attenuating the difference between males and females. Maternal separation at birth alters the normal evolution of DNA methylation profiles and targets genes that are also affected by a later stage maternal separation, that is, weaning. Our results suggest that early life events dynamically interfere with the normal developmental evolution of the DNA methylation profile and that these changes are highly effected by sex.

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Early Life Adversity and Polygenic Risk for High Fasting Insulin Are Associated With Childhood Impulsivity

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.704785 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aashita Batra ◽

Lawrence M. Chen ◽

Zihan Wang ◽

Carine Parent ◽

Irina Pokhvisneva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Genetic Background ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Nervous System Development ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Fasting Insulin ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Polygenic Risk ◽

Co Morbidity ◽

The Impact

While the co-morbidity between metabolic and psychiatric behaviors is well-established, the mechanisms are poorly understood, and exposure to early life adversity (ELA) is a common developmental risk factor. ELA is associated with altered insulin sensitivity and poor behavioral inhibition throughout life, which seems to contribute to the development of metabolic and psychiatric disturbances in the long term. We hypothesize that a genetic background associated with higher fasting insulin interacts with ELA to influence the development of executive functions (e.g., impulsivity in young children). We calculated the polygenic risk scores (PRSs) from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) of fasting insulin at different thresholds and identified the subset of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that best predicted peripheral insulin levels in children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort [N = 467; pt– initial = 0.24 (10,296 SNPs), pt– refined = 0.05 (57 SNPs)]. We then calculated the refined PRS (rPRS) for fasting insulin at this specific threshold in the children from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) cohort and investigated its interaction effect with adversity on an impulsivity task applied at 36 months. We found a significant effect of interaction between fasting insulin rPRS and adversity exposure predicting impulsivity measured by the Snack Delay Task at 36 months [β = −0.329, p = 0.024], such that higher PRS [β = −0.551, p = 0.009] was linked to more impulsivity in individuals exposed to more adversity. Enrichment analysis (MetaCoreTM) of the SNPs that compose the fasting insulin rPRS at this threshold was significant for certain nervous system development processes including dopamine D2 receptor signaling. Additional enrichment analysis (FUMA) of the genes mapped from the SNPs in the fasting insulin rPRS showed enrichment with the accelerated cognitive decline GWAS. Therefore, the genetic background associated with risk for adult higher fasting insulin moderates the impact of early adversity on childhood impulsivity.

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Early life adversity, dispositional mindfulness, and longitudinal stress experience during the COVID-19 pandemic

10.31234/osf.io/5kt6z ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Annika Benz ◽

Maria Meier ◽

Ulrike U. Bentele ◽

Stephanie J. Dimitroff ◽

Bernadette Denk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Perceived Stress ◽

Life Stress ◽

Early Life ◽

Early Life Stress ◽

Dispositional Mindfulness ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Stress Buffering ◽

Psychopathological Symptoms ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

Experiencing severe or prolonged stressors in early life is associated with increased risk for mental and physical disorders in adulthood. Further, individuals who experienced early life stress (ELS) may use dysfunctional coping strategies like stress-related eating, in contrast to more beneficial stress buffering mechanisms e.g. based on mindfulness. Whether these mechanisms contribute to increased levels of perceived stress and symptoms of mental disorders in individuals with ELS in times of crisis is yet unclear. As part of a larger project, we assessed changes in perceived stress and psychopathological symptoms in a sample of N=102 participants (81% female; meanage=23.49, SDage= 7.11, range 18–62) from October/December 2019 (prior to the Covid-19 pandemic) to April/June 2020 (after the German government introduced Covid-19 related restrictions). Additionally, we assessed ELS and dispositional mindfulness.Perceived stress and depression significantly increased while anxiety levels decreased. No significant change was observed for somatization. ELS and dispositional mindfulness were not associated with change scores, but with perceived stress and psychopathological symptoms at both assessments. The increase in perceived stress during the pandemic in a majority of participants demonstrates the impact of the pandemic in the general population.

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Addiction, inequality and recovery

Social Determinantsof Health ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447336846.003.0006 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Svanberg

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Health Inequalities ◽

Early Life ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Health Equality ◽

Societal Inequality ◽

Rich Countries ◽

The Impact

This chapter examines the impact of health inequalities on addiction and how the recommendations of the Marmot Review could influence recovery from addiction. The Marmot Review was tasked with devising strategies to reduce health inequalities in England, and rightly recognised that health equality requires a debate about what kind of society we want to live in. When considering societies as a whole, there is a clearer relationship between poor health outcomes and societal inequality; rich countries with a steep social gradient do worse than poorer, but more equal, countries. The chapter first provides an overview of factors that cause substance use and addiction before discussing the role of early life adversity in addiction and the link between inequality and addiction. More specifically, it explains how unequal societies lead to addiction and goes on to consider how society can support recovery from addiction.

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Amygdala Allostasis and Early Life Adversity: Considering Excitotoxicity and Inescapability in the Sequelae of Stress

10.31234/osf.io/7gcuw ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jamie Lars Hanson ◽

Brendon Nacewicz

Keyword(s):

Animal Models ◽

Early Life ◽

Allostatic Load ◽

Child Poverty ◽

Past Research ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Stress Buffering ◽

Behavioral Studies ◽

New Findings ◽

The Impact

Early life adversity (ELA), such as child maltreatment or child poverty, engenders problems with emotional and behavioral regulation. In the quest to understand the neurobiological sequelae and mechanisms of risk, the amygdala has been of major focus. While the basic functions of this region make it a strong candidate for understanding the multiple mental health issues common after ELA, extant literature is marked by profound inconsistencies, with reports of larger, smaller, and no differences in regional volumes of this area. We believe integrative models of stress neurodevelopment, grounded in “allostatic load”, will help resolve inconsistencies in the impact of ELA on the amygdala. In this review, we attempt to connect past research studies to new findings with animal models of cellular and neurotransmitter mediators of stress buffering to extreme fear generalization onto testable research and clinical concepts. Drawing on the greater impact of inescapability over unpredictability in animal models, we propose a mechanism by which ELA aggravates an exhaustive cycle of amygdala expansion and subsequent toxic-metabolic damage. We connect this neurobiological sequela to psychosocial mal/adaptation after ELA, bridging to behavioral studies of attachment, emotion processing, and social functioning. Lastly, we conclude this review by proposing a multitude of future directions in preclinical work and studies of humans that suffered ELA.

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LINKING FAMILY TRANSITIONS AND LATER-LIFE DEPRESSION: DOES LIFE-COURSE SOCIOECONOMIC STANDING MATTER?

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2137 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S576-S577

Author(s):

Claudia Recksiedler ◽

Boris Cheval ◽

Stefan Sieber ◽

Robert S Stawski ◽

Stephane Cullati

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Early Life ◽

Linear Models ◽

Later Life ◽

Single Women ◽

Family Transitions ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Marital Transitions ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time

Abstract Research documented the impact of marital transitions—particularly marital loss—on depression in old age, yet its severity depends multiple factors. Individuals’ capability to cope with transitions depends on available resources and previous exposure to stressors, such as early-life adversity, which buffers or aggravates the impact of marital transitions on later-life depression. Although studies documented the pivotal link between early-life adversity and negative health trajectories, our study is the first attempt to examine whether early-life adversity influences the relationship between prospectively-tracked, later-life marital transitions and depression. We drew data from SHARE, which samples individuals aged 50+ across Europe (N = 13,258; 2004-2016). Using multilevel linear models, we found that women who became widowed had higher levels of depression compared to coupled and single women, but experienced lower increases in depression over time. After adjusting for early-life and adulthood SES, losing a partner remained significantly associated with depression. Life-course SES was associated with levels of depression, yet interactions between marital transitions and SES were not, with some exceptions: single women who reported difficulties in their ability to make ends meet experience higher increases of depression over time. Overall, results were similar for men. Interactions between family transitions and SES were again not significant, with a few exceptions for single men: those born in more childhood conditions, and those with high education, had lower levels of depression. We interpret and discuss our findings through the lens of life-course and stress-resiliency perspectives and in light of changing family dynamics for this age group.

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