Methylation of the Glucocorticoid Receptor (NR3C1) in Placenta Is Associated with Infant Cry Acoustics.
Epigenetic mechanisms regulating expression of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) promoter may influence behavioral and biological aspects of stress response in human infants. Acoustic features of infant crying are an indicator of neurobehavioral and neurological status not yet investigated in relation to epigenetic mechanisms. We examined NR3C1 methylation in placental tissue from a series of 120 healthy newborn infants in relation to a detailed set of acoustic features extracted from newborn infant cries. We identified significant associations of NR3C1 methylation with energy variation in infants' cries as well as with the presence of very high fundamental frequency in cry utterances. The presence of high fundamental frequency in cry (above 1 kHz) has been linked to poor vocal tract control, poor regulation of stress response, and may be an indicator or poor neurobehavioral integrity. Thus, these results add to evidence linking epigenetic alteration of the NR3C1 gene in the placenta to neurodevelopmental features in infants.
The Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infants HospitalProvidence, RI, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityProvidence, RI, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityProvidence, RI, USA.
Stephen J
SJ
Sheinkopf
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Providence, RI, USA.
Giulia
G
Righi
Section of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Hanover, NH, USA.
Carmen J
CJ
Marsit
The Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infants HospitalProvidence, RI, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityProvidence, RI, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityProvidence, RI, USA.
Barry M
BM
Lester
acoustics; cry; epigenetic; human; infancy; neurodevelopment; placenta