Accelerated epigenetic age at birth and child emotional and behavioura development in early childhood: a meta-analysis of four prospective cohort studies in ECHO

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Ashley Y. Song, Johns Hopkins University; Catherine M. Bulka, University of South Florida; Sierra S. Niemiec, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus; Katerina Kechris, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus; Kristen E. Boyle, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus; Carmen Marsit, Emory University; T. Michael O'Shea, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Rebecca C. Fry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Kristen Lyall, Drexel University; Dani Fallin, Emory University; Heather E. Volk, Johns Hopkins University; Christine Ladd-Acosta, Johns Hopkins University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-09-10
• Publisher: Informa UK Limited
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.1080%2F15592294.2023.2254971
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Epigenetics
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 2254971
• Grant/Funding Information: The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.Research reported in this publication was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, under Award Numbers [U2COD023375] (Coordinating Center), [U24OD023382] (Data Analysis Center), [U24OD023319] with co-funding from the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (PRO Core), [UH3OD023248] (Dabelea), [UH3OD023342] (Lyall), [UH3OD023348] (O’Shea).
• Keywords: emotional and behavioural traits; Epigenetic age; child neurodevelopment; DNA methylation; biologic age; age acceleration; child behavior checklist
• Research Categories: Biology, Genetics

Abstract

Background: ‘Epigenetic clocks’ have been developed to accurately predict chronologic gestational age and have been associated with child health outcomes in prior work. Methods: We meta-analysed results from four prospective U.S cohorts investigating the association between epigenetic age acceleration estimated using blood DNA methylation collected at birth and preschool age Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores. Results: Epigenetic ageing was not significantly associated with CBCL total problem scores (β = 0.33, 95% CI: −0.95, 0.28) and DSM-oriented pervasive development problem scores (β = −0.23, 95% CI: −0.61, 0.15). No associations were observed for other DSM-oriented subscales. Conclusions: The meta-analysis results suggest that epigenetic gestational age acceleration is not associated with child emotional and behavioural functioning for preschool age group. These findings may relate to our study population, which includes two cohorts enriched for ASD and one preterm birth cohort.; future work should address the role of epigenetic age in child health in other study populations. Abbreviations: DNAm: DNA methylation; CBCL: Child Behavioral Checklist; ECHO: Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes; EARLI: Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation; MARBLES: Markers of Autism Risk in Babies – Learning Early Signs; ELGAN: Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns; ASD: autism spectrum disorder; BMI: body mass index; DSM: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.