Poster #17 - Longitudinal Associations Between Adolescent DNA Methylation and Psychopathology

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Biological Processes: Neuroscience and Genetics

Integrative Statement

While an individual’s DNA sequence remains static across the lifespan, the epigenome is more dynamic evidencing change across time. Yet there is a dearth of longitudinal investigations of the epigenome. DNA methylation, consisting of the presence or absence of a methyl group to a cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) site, can alter gene expression, including both the activation and repression of genes. These modifications may have downstream effects on behavioral systems and psychopathology; this has led to a burgeoning field examining DNA methylation as a potential biological mechanism for how environmental stressors may lead to emerging psychopathology. Measures of epigenetic aging have been proposed as indicators of accelerated biological aging which may be the results of stressors including the presence of psychopathology. Recently, Barker, Walton, and Cecil (2018) highlighted the need to establish the ‘temporal specificity’ of DNA methylation and psychopathology. Addressing this gap, this study seeks to examine associations and directionality among markers of youth’s epigenome and behavioral problems.

Data are from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a nationally-representative longitudinal study of approximately 4900 youth born in large urban cities. The study oversampled children born to unmarried parents, resulting in a disproportionately large sample of children from low-income, single-parent, and racially diverse families. Youth provided saliva samples at ages 9 and 15 and salivary DNA methylation was assessed using the Infinium Methylation 450K Chip. Epigenetic age was calculated using Horvath’s clock (2013) from which chronological age was removed providing a measure of accelerated epigenetic aging. Primary caregivers completed an abbreviated version of the internalizing subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Preliminary analyses are reported for a subset of youth (N=600; 53% Female; 57% Black, 22% Hispanic, 21% White) with DNA methylation data available.

A cross-lag panel model was fit examining transactional relations between internalizing problems and epigenetic age. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and child gender were included as covariates. Both internalizing problems and epigenetic age were stable across the 6-year period (see Figure 1 for results for the full sample). There was a trend for age 9 internalizing problems predicting age 15 epigenetic aging. Relations varied by race/ethnicity (see Figure 2). There is evidence for transactional processes among White youth; however bidirectional associations were not found among Black and Hispanic youth. Wald tests support differences in the parameter coefficients among the cross-lag pathways between White youth and Black and Hispanic youth (ps range .03-.09).

Preliminary results support transactional processes among epigenetic aging and parent-reported internalizing problems during adolescence for some but not all youth. Additional analyses will explore genetic ancestry (derived from genetic microarray data) as well as additional indicators of methylation (e.g., methylation of genes implicated in the serotonergic and neuroendocrine pathways) and adolescent self-reported psychopathology. These findings provide initial evidence for longitudinal processes between changes in the epigenome and psychopathology during adolescence.

Authors

• Kalsea J. Koss, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Lisa Schneper, Princeton University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Colter Mitchell, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Columbia University Teachers College
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sara McLanahan, Princeton University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daniel Notterman, Princeton University
  Non-Presenting Author