title: Perinatal epigenetic determinants of cognitive and metabolic disorders.
abstract: Multiple cues from the environment of our indirect and immediate ancestors, which often persist throughout the prenatal period and adulthood, are shaping our phenotypes through either direct, parent-to-child influences, or transgenerational inheritance. These effects are due to gene-environment interactions, which are intended to be a predictive tool and a mechanism of quick adaptation to the environment, as compared with genetic variations that are inherited over many generations. In certain circumstances the influences induced by the gene-environment interactions can have deleterious effects upon the health status, in the context of a radical change in the environment that does not fit with the predicted conditions, via epigenetic alterations. Conversely the best fit to the expected environment might have a delayed aging process and a longer life span. This review will touch upon the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DoHAD) concept, while discussing recent advances in the understanding of metabolic and cognitive disruptions, with a focus on epigenetic factors, their transgenerational effects, and the consequences they might have upon the onset of chronic disease and premature exitus.
authors.affiliation: UNC Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kannapolis, NC, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lupu
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tint
authors.forename: Mihai D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Niculescu