Epigenetics and Infant Stress Reactivity Related to Variations in Parenting

Merging the fields of epigenetics and human behavior is potentially “game changing” and provides an unprecedented opportunity to discover the molecular basis of human behavior.  Here, we are interested in the role of parenting in altering epigenetic mechanisms that could affect the infants physiological stress reactivity (cortisol) which has been shown to be related to later childhood mental and behavioral disorders. The sample includes infants followed from birth to 4 months of age. DNA of the infant from the placenta and infant neurobehavior (NNNS and cry) were collected at birth. At 4 months, DNA was collected from the infant and the quality of mother infant interaction and infant cortisol stress reactivity were measured.  We expect that results will also inform caregiving-induced signatures on the epigenome that influence infant physiological stress reactivity. Primary Investigators: Barry Lester PhD, Elizabeth Conradt PhD, Carmen Marsit PhD.

Maternal Lifestyle Study

The Maternal Lifestyle Study (MLS) is the largest of the NIH longitudinal studies of children with prenatal cocaine exposure.  MLS is a multi-site observational study of the long term effects of in-utero exposure to cocaine on child development.  The study included 25 data collection visits (birth to age 16 years) in the birth hospital, study clinic, home, and school. Neurobehavior evaluation (NNNS) and acoustic cry analysis were conducted at the 1-month visit. Quality of attachment was conducted at 18 and 36 months. Heart rate recording occurred during child activity in the study clinic. Cortisol reactivity during the stressful Trier Task and diurnal cortisol pattern both showed a blunted response in cocaine exposed children, suggesting chronic stress in these children’s lives.  Cocaine exposed children are likely to live in adverse circumstances that may increase the likelihood of behavior problems leading to poor executive function and school achievement, psychopathology, delinquency, early sex and drug use.  MLS has published over 75 publications. Primary Investigators: Barry Lester PhD, Linda Lagasse PhD.

The MLS data set has been submitted for public access to the National Addiction and HIV Data Archive Program, Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (University of Michigan). The URL is http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR34312.v1

Preterm Infant outcome in the Single Family Room Model of Care 

Preterm infants are often cared for in “open bay” Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) that can be crowded, noisy and overstimulating and with little privacy for families to provide and interact with their babies.  A new model of care, the Single Family Room NICU, in which each infant has their own room, has been proposed as a way to improve infant medical and developmental outcome.  Women and Infants Hospital transitioned from an open bay to a Single Family Room NICU enabling us to compare a group of babies who were cared for in the open bay NICU with a group of babies who were cared for in the single family room NICU.  We are comparing them at hospital discharge on medical and developmental outcome and at 18 months follow-up. We are also studying “mediators” or factors that may explain the how and why of improved outcome in the single family room model.  Primary Investigators: Barry Lester PhD, James Padbury MD.