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The structure and sequence of the BDNF gene is complex but highly conserved across species. During the prenatal period, BDNF potentiates placental development and facilitates cytotrophoblast differentiation, proliferation, migration, and survival necessary for fetal growth. BDNF crosses the blood-brain barrier and is present in the bloodstream and peripheral tissues as well, exerting neuro-protective effects throughout the body. This neuronal growth factor, encoded by the gene BDNF, is a member of the neurotrophin family of polypeptide growth factors that are widely expressed throughout the brain and impact a broad range of brain functions. Throughout life, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) acts as a key regulator of neuronal development and activity including axonal growth, maturation and survival of neurons, and synaptic plasticity. The findings add to the growing body of evidence highlighting the importance of considering epigenetic effects when examining the impacts of trauma and stress, not only for adults but also for offspring exposed via effects transmitted before birth. This is the first study in humans to examine BDNF methylation in relation to prenatal exposure to maternal stress in three tissues simultaneously and the first in any mammalian species to report associations of prenatal stress and BDNF methylation in placental tissue.
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The majority of significant associations were observed in putative transcription factor binding regions. Associations of maternal stress and BDNF methylation showed high tissue specificity. ResultsĪmong 24 mothers and newborns in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region with extreme conflict and violence to women, maternal experiences of war trauma and chronic stress were associated with BDNF methylation in umbilical cord blood, placental tissue, and maternal venous blood.
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This study examined associations of prenatal exposure to maternal stress and BDNF methylation at CpG sites across the BDNF gene. No studies have assessed prenatal exposure to maternal traumatic stress and BDNF methylation in humans. Rodent studies show that early life stress, including prenatal stress, broadly alters BDNF methylation, with presumed changes in gene expression. Present in both the brain and periphery, BDNF plays critical roles throughout the body and is essential for placental and fetal development. The BDNF gene codes for brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a growth factor involved in neural development, cell differentiation, and synaptic plasticity.