Early Maternal Deprivation and Epigenetic Modifications of Later Childhood Emotional Status.

Background.There is now well documented that environmental agents can modify health by disruption of the homeostatic regulatory mechanisms between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. During early postnatal life the brain exhibits high plasticity which allows environmental signals to alter the trajectories of rapidly developing circuits. Adversity in early life is able to shape the experience-dependent maturation of stress-regulating pathways such as the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) system.

Objective. Present study was performed to make clear the influence of early maternal deprivation on formation the emotional status in later childhood; To understand the effect of early deprivation on the regulatory mechanisms of HPA axis.

Methods. The blood neurotransmitters (Norepinephrine NE, Dopamine DA, Serotonin SE) levels were investigated in healthy institutionalized children at age 6 to 36 months from Tbilisi Infant’s Orphanage. Emotional status was assessed in institutionalized children at age 3 to 6 years by Leusher’s Color Test. Control group formed the same age healthy children from Tbilisi mother-child shelters.

Results. Elevation in blood NE and low levels of DA and SE levels were established in the institutionalized infants to compare with control group. The higher was the percentage of children with anxiety and behavioral disorders in the group of orphan children, than in children with family care.

Conclusion. In this study early life stress has been shown to be a strong predictor of impaired inhibitory feedback regulation of the HPA axis. Thus we have proposed that conditions of early life environment can evoke changes in DNA methylation facilitating epigenetic programming of critical genes involved in regulating stress responsivity that may in turn manifest with neuroendocrine and behavioral symptoms in later childhood periods. So, it is recommended to support alternative ways of abandoned children`s care against children`s institutions, such as biological mothers’ financial support or foster care.