Abstract
The human brain develops through a complex interplay of genetic and environmental influences. During critical periods of development, experiences shape brain architecture, often with long-lasting effects. If experiences are adverse, the effects may include the risk of mental and physical disease, whereas positive environments may increase the likelihood of healthy outcomes. Understanding how psychosocial stress and adverse experiences are embedded in biological systems and how we can identify markers of risk may lead to discovering new approaches to improve patient care and outcomes. Biomarkers can be used to identify specific intervention targets and at-risk children early when physiological system malleability increases the likelihood of intervention success. However, identifying reliable biomarkers has been challenging, particularly in the perinatal period and the first years of life, including in preterm infants. This review explores the landscape of psychosocial stress and adverse experience biomarkers. We highlight potential benefits and challenges of identifying risk clinically and different sub-signatures of stress, and in their ability to inform targeted interventions. Finally, we propose that the combination of preterm birth and adversity amplifies the risk for abnormal development and calls for a focus on this group of infants within the field of psychosocial stress and adverse experience biomarkers.
Impact
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Reviews the landscape of biomarkers of psychosocial stress and adverse experiences in the perinatal period and early childhood and highlights the potential benefits and challenges of their clinical utility in identifying risk status in children, and in developing targeted interventions.
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Explores associations between psychosocial stress and adverse experiences in childhood with prematurity and identifies potential areas of assessment and intervention to improve outcomes in this at-risk group.
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Funding
Dr. Charles A. Nelson time was funded by the National Institutes of Health award MH091363 and the JPB Research Network on Toxic Stress: A project of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (JPB Foundation award 256577-5108544).
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Dr. Alejandra Barrero-Castillero conceptualized the review and wrote the initial manuscript. Dr. Alejandra Barrero-Castillero, Dr. Lara Pierce, Mr. Saul Urbina-Johanson, and Dr. Laura Pirazzoli performed a detailed literature review of biomarkers of adversity, edited the manuscript, and critically reviewed it. Dr. Heather H. Burris and Dr. Charles A. Nelson critically reviewed and edited the manuscript for important intellectual content and contributed to the interpretation of findings. Dr. Charles Nelson mentored Dr. Barrero-Castillero throughout the review. All the authors together defined the scope of the review, interpreted the data, and edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final submitted version.
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Barrero-Castillero, A., Pierce, L.J., Urbina-Johanson, S.A. et al. Perinatal and early childhood biomarkers of psychosocial stress and adverse experiences. Pediatr Res 92, 956–965 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-022-01933-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-022-01933-z
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