Project Description

Challenge

A child’s genetic susceptibility to the environment is usually associated with specific gene variations. When combined with environmental factors, this susceptibility can lead to better or worse outcomes for the child.

Researchers at the Parenting Research on Mental Illness, Stress & Epi/Genetics (PROMISE) study sought to understand how parenting could impact this genetic susceptibility. Their primary objective was to understand whether mothers’ and fathers’ parenting could have a moderating effect on childhood adversities and the related genetic predisposition to environmental influences in the neurodevelopment of young children. They also wanted to understand if parenting could also moderate the impact of adversities on a child’s genetic expression.

Project Summary

The PROMISE study builds on the success of the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study, which collected genetic data from hundreds of parents and babies to study maternal mental health, nutrition and infant/child development. APrON banked venous blood and buccal samples from 3-month-old infants, which was available for genetic and epigenetic analysis and profiling. PROMISE followed 221 families from the original APrON cohort to test the hypothesis that parenting interacts with genetic susceptibility to predict children’s behavioural and neurodevelopment.

Result

We have submitted a paper examining the association between parental stress during pregnancy and epigenetic changes in children. We have also published an article discussing the interaction between genotype and the stressful nature of children’s environment in predicting children’s behavioural problems. Dr. Letourneau’s Master of Nursing student’s paper on the association between mothers’ traumatic childhood experiences (e.g. physical or emotional abuse) and their children’s epigenetic profile is in preparation. Also, in development is a paper on fathers’ traumatic childhood experiences and children’s epigenetic expression.

Team

Investigators

Nicole Letourneau, University of Calgary
Gerald Giesbrecht, University of Calgary
Michael Kobor, University of British Columbia
The APrON Team