scholarly journals Increases in Bdnf DNA Methylation in the Prefrontal Cortex Following Aversive Caregiving Are Reflected in Blood Tissue

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah B. D. Duffy ◽  
Tania L. Roth
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Aberrant Methylation ◽  
Epigenetic Changes ◽  
Behavioral Deficits ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
The Brain

Child maltreatment not only leads to epigenetic changes, but also increases the risk of related behavioral deficits and mental disorders. These issues presumably are most closely associated with epigenetic changes in the brain, but epigenetic changes in peripheral tissues like blood are often examined instead, due to their accessibility. As such, the reliability of using the peripheral epigenome as a proxy for that of the brain is imperative. Previously, our lab has found aberrant methylation at the Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) gene in the prefrontal cortex of rats following aversive caregiving. The current study examined whether aversive caregiving alters Bdnf DNA methylation in the blood compared to the prefrontal cortex. It was revealed that DNA methylation associated with adversity increased in both tissues, but this methylation was not correlated between tissues. These findings indicate that group trends in Bdnf methylation between blood and the brain are comparable, but variation exists among individual subjects.

Epigenetic Studies in Psychotherapy: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-92
Author(s):  
Rafael Penadés ◽  
Bárbara Arias ◽  
Mar Fatjó-Vilas ◽  
Laura González-Vallespí ◽  
Clemente García-Rizo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Epigenetic Modifications ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Epigenetic Changes ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Psychological Treatments ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Impact

Background: Epigenetic modifications appear to be dynamic and they might be affected by environmental factors. The possibility of influencing these processes through psychotherapy has been suggested. Objective: To analyse the impact of psychotherapy on epigenetics when applied to mental disorders. The main hypothesis is that psychological treatments will produce epigenetic modifications related to the improvement of treated symptoms. Methods: A computerised and systematic search was completed throughout the time period from 1990 to 2019 on the PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus databases. Results: In total, 11 studies were selected. The studies were evaluated for the theoretical framework, genes involved, type of psychotherapy and clinical challenges and perspectives. All studies showed detectable changes at the epigenetic level, like DNA methylation changes, associated with symptom improvement after psychotherapy. Conclusion: Methylation profiles could be moderating treatment effects of psychotherapy. Beyond the detected epigenetic changes after psychotherapy, the epigenetic status before the implementation could act as an effective predictor of response.

scholarly journals Assessment of DNA Methylation and Oxidative Changes in the Heart and Brain of Rats Receiving a High-Fat Diet Supplemented with Various Forms of Chromium

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1470
Author(s):  
Wojciech Dworzański ◽  
Ewelina Cholewińska ◽  
Bartosz Fotschki ◽  
Jerzy Juśkiewicz ◽  
Piotr Listos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
High Fat Diet ◽  
Protein Carbonyl ◽  
Global Dna Methylation ◽  
Standard Diet ◽  
Epigenetic Changes ◽  
Oxidation Reactions ◽  
High Fat ◽  
Repair Enzymes ◽  
The Brain

The aim of the study was to determine how feeding rats a high-fat diet supplemented with various forms of chromium affects DNA methylation and oxidation reactions as well as the histology of heart and brain tissue. The rats received standard diet or high-fat diet and chromium at 0.3 mg/kg body weight (BW) in form of chromium (III) picolinate, chromium (III)-methionine, or nano-sized chromium. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHDG), the level of global DNA methylation and the activity of selected DNA repair enzymes were determined in the blood. In the brain and heart, the content of MDA, PC, 8-OHDG, and levels of global DNA methylation were determined. The brain was subjected to histological examination. The use of a high-fat diet was found to intensify epigenetic changes and oxidation reactions in the heart and brain. It was concluded that epigenetic changes and oxidation of lipids, proteins, and DNA in the heart and brain of rats resulting from the use of a high-fat diet cannot be limited by supplementing the diet with chromium. It was established that the use of chromium to supplement a high-fat diet intensifies the negative epigenetic and oxidative changes in the heart and brain, especially in the case of chromium nanoparticles.

scholarly journals Insight from animal models of environmentally driven epigenetic changes in the developing and adult brain

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (4pt2) ◽  
pp. 1229-1243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany S. Doherty ◽  
Tania L. Roth
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Epigenetic Changes ◽  
Behavioral Deficits ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Brain And Behavior ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe efforts of many neuroscientists are directed toward understanding the appreciable plasticity of the brain and behavior. In recent years, epigenetics has become a core of this focus as a prime mechanistic candidate for behavioral modifications. Animal models have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of environmentally driven changes to the epigenome in the developing and adult brain. This review focuses mainly on such discoveries driven by adverse environments along with their associated behavioral outcomes. While much of the evidence discussed focuses on epigenetics within the central nervous system, several peripheral studies in humans who have experienced significant adversity are also highlighted. As we continue to unravel the link between epigenetics and phenotype, discerning the complexity and specificity of epigenetic changes induced by environments is an important step toward understanding optimal development and how to prevent or ameliorate behavioral deficits bred by disruptive environments.

scholarly journals Epigenetic-mediated N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor changes in the brain of isolated reared rats

Epigenomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 1983-1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Marcelino Loureiro ◽  
Helene Aparecida Fachim ◽  
Fabiana Corsi-Zuelli ◽  
Rosana Shuhama ◽  
Sâmia Joca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Wistar Rats ◽  
Isolation Rearing ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Receptor Mrna ◽  
Aspartate Receptor ◽  
Male Wistar Rats ◽  
The Brain

Aim: We investigated: Grin1, Grin2a, Grin2b DNA methylation; NR1 and NR2 mRNA/protein in the prefrontal cortex (PFC); and hippocampus of male Wistar rats exposed to isolation rearing. Materials & methods: Animals were kept isolated or grouped (n = 10/group) from weaning for 10 weeks. Tissues were dissected for RNA/DNA extraction and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits were analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, ELISA and pyrosequencing. Results: Isolated-reared animals had: decreased mRNA in PFC for all markers, increased NR1 protein in hippocampus and hypermethylation of Grin1 in PFC and Grin2b in hippocampus, compared with grouped rats. Associations between mRNA/protein and DNA methylation were found for both brain areas. Conclusion: This study indicates that epigenetic DNA methylation may underlie N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor mRNA/protein expression alterations caused by isolation rearing.

scholarly journals A correlation map of genome-wide DNA methylation patterns between paired human brain and buccal samples

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmine Sommerer ◽  
Olena Ohlei ◽  
Valerija Dobricic ◽  
Derek H. Oakley ◽  
Tanja Wesse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Promoter Regions ◽  
Functional Interpretation ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Cpg Sites ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Significant Enrichment ◽  
Methylation Patterns

Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) assessing the link between DNA methylation (DNAm) and phenotypes related to structural brain measures, cognitive function, and neurodegenerative diseases are becoming increasingly more popular. Due to the inaccessibility of brain tissue in humans, several studies use peripheral tissues such as blood, buccal swabs, and saliva as surrogates. To aid the functional interpretation of EWAS findings in such settings, there is a need to assess the correlation of DNAm variability across tissues in the same individuals. In this study, we performed a correlation analysis between DNAm data of a total of n=120 matched post-mortem buccal and prefrontal cortex samples. We identified nearly 25,000 (3% of approximately 730,000) cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites showing significant (False Discovery Rate q < 0.05) correlations between buccal and PFC samples. Correlated CpG sites showed a preponderance to being located in promoter regions and showed a significant enrichment of being determined by genetic factors, i.e. methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL), based on buccal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex mQTL databases. Our novel buccal-brain DNAm correlation map will provide a valuable resource for future EWAS using buccal samples for studying DNAm effects on phenotypes relating to the brain. All correlation results are made freely available to the public online.

scholarly journals Cognitive Development and Brain Gray Matter Susceptibility to Prenatal Adversities: Moderation by the Prefrontal Cortex Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Co-expression Network

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euclides José de Mendonça Filho ◽  
Barbara Barth ◽  
Denise Ruschel Bandeira ◽  
Randriely Merscher Sobreira de Lima ◽  
Danusa Mar Arcego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Gene Network ◽  
Matter Density ◽  
Gray Matter Density ◽  
Factor Gene ◽  
Development Trajectories ◽  
The Brain

Background: Previous studies focused on the relationship between prenatal conditions and neurodevelopmental outcomes later in life, but few have explored the interplay between gene co-expression networks and prenatal adversity conditions on cognitive development trajectories and gray matter density.Methods: We analyzed the moderation effects of an expression polygenic score (ePRS) for the Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor gene network (BDNF ePRS) on the association between prenatal adversity and child cognitive development. A score based on genes co-expressed with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) BDNF was created, using the effect size of the association between the individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and the BDNF expression in the PFC. Cognitive development trajectories of 157 young children from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) cohort were assessed longitudinally in 4-time points (6, 12, 18, and 36 months) using the Bayley-II mental scales.Results: Linear mixed-effects modeling indicated that BDNF ePRS moderates the effects of prenatal adversity on cognitive growth. In children with high BDNF ePRS, higher prenatal adversity was associated with slower cognitive development in comparison with those exposed to lower prenatal adversity. Parallel-Independent Component Analysis (pICA) suggested that associations of expression-based SNPs and gray matter density significantly differed between low and high prenatal adversity groups. The brain IC included areas involved in visual association processes (Brodmann area 19 and 18), reallocation of attention, and integration of information across the supramodal cortex (Brodmann area 10).Conclusion: Cognitive development trajectories and brain gray matter seem to be influenced by the interplay of prenatal environmental conditions and the expression of an important BDNF gene network that guides the growth and plasticity of neurons and synapses.

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