Scientific Reports (Aug 2021)

Hidden pandemic: COVID-19-related stress, SLC6A4 methylation, and infants’ temperament at 3 months

  • Livio Provenzi,
  • Fabiana Mambretti,
  • Marco Villa,
  • Serena Grumi,
  • Andrea Citterio,
  • Emanuela Bertazzoli,
  • Giacomo Biasucci,
  • Lidia Decembrino,
  • Rossana Falcone,
  • Barbara Gardella,
  • Maria Roberta Longo,
  • Renata Nacinovich,
  • Camilla Pisoni,
  • Federico Prefumo,
  • Simona Orcesi,
  • Barbara Scelsa,
  • Roberto Giorda,
  • Renato Borgatti

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95053-z
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic represents a collective trauma that may have enduring stress effects during sensitive periods, such as pregnancy. Prenatal stress may result in epigenetic signatures of stress-related genes (e.g., the serotonin transporter gene, SLC6A4) that may in turn influence infants’ behavioral development. In April 2020, we launched a longitudinal cohort study to assess the behavioral and epigenetic vestiges of COVID-19-related prenatal stress exposure in mothers and infants. COVID-19-related prenatal stress was retrospectively assessed at birth. SLC6A4 methylation was assessed in thirteen CpG sites in mothers and infants’ buccal cells. Infants’ temperament was assessed at 3-month-age. Complete data were available from 108 mother-infant dyads. Greater COVID-19-related prenatal stress was significantly associated with higher infants’ SLC6A4 methylation in seven CpG sites. SLC6A4 methylation at these sites predicted infants’ temperament at 3 months.