Severe psychosocial deprivation in early childhood is associated with increased DNA methylation across a region spanning the transcription start site of CYP2E1
Researchers measured DNA methylation in cheek cells from 49 adolescent adoptees with longer, shorter or no Romanian institutional exposure. No individual tested site remained significant after multiple-testing correction, but a region spanning nine sites near CYP2E1 differed by exposure and was associated with markers of social-cognitive difficulties.
Limitations: Very small biological sample; cheek-cell methylation cannot be assumed to represent the brain. Regional associations do not demonstrate a mechanism or inherited change. Extreme early institutional deprivation; results do not represent adoptees generally. Participants overlap with other ERA publications.
- Research type
- Biomarker cohort analysis
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Adolescents
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Adolescents
Adoption context: Intercountry adoption after Romanian institutional care; UK comparison groups
Programme: English and Romanian Adoptees Study
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified in indexed metadata reviewed. Affiliations, funding and conflicts have not been comprehensively audited; this does not confirm institutional independence.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: cognitive development, epigenetics, stress biology
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: United Kingdom; Romania (origin)
- Funding
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Commissioner
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Funder role
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Declared conflicts
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Recruitment
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Adoptee involvement
- Not yet checked for this entry
Entry: study_ece08b70a0d64a29