The role of epigenetic mechanisms in the long-term effects of early-life adversity and mother-infant relationship on physiology and behavior of offspring in laboratory rats and mice

Abstract

Maternal care during the early postnatal period of altricial mammals is a key factor in the survival and adaptation of offspring to environmental conditions. Natural variations in maternal care and experimental manipulations with maternal-child relationships modeling early-life adversity (ELA) in laboratory rats and mice have a strong long-term influence on the physiology and behavior of offspring in rats and mice. This literature review is devoted to the latest research on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in these effects of ELA and mother-infant relationship, with a focus on the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. An important part of this review is dedicated to pharmacological interventions and epigenetic editing as tools for studying the causal role of epigenetic mechanisms in the development of physiological and behavioral profiles. A special section of the manuscript will discuss the translational potential of the discussed research.

Keywords: brain-derived neurotrophic factor; early-life adversity; enrichment; epigenetics; glucocorticoid receptors; histone deacetylase; histone deacetylase inhibitors; hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; maternal separation; neuronal plasticity.