Holding Infants, Or Not, Can Leave Traces on Their Genes The amount of close and comforting contact

Holding Infants, Or Not, Can Leave Traces on Their Genes The amount of close and comforting contact between infants and their caregivers can affect children at the molecular level, an effect detectable four years later, according to new research from the University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute.The study showed that children who had been more distressed as infants and had received less physical contact had a molecular profile in their cells that was underdeveloped for their age – pointing to the possibility that they were lagging biologically.“In children, we think slower epigenetic aging might indicate an inability to thrive,” said Michael Kobor, a Professor in the UBC Department of Medical Genetics who leads the “Healthy Starts” theme at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute.Although the implications for childhood development and adult health have yet to be understood, this finding builds on similar work in rodents. This is the first study to show in humans that the simple act of touching, early in life, has deeply-rooted and potentially lifelong consequences on genetic expression.The study, published last month in Development and Psychopathology, involved 94 healthy children in British Columbia. “Epigenetic correlates of neonatal contact in humans” by Sarah R. Moore, Lisa M. McEwen, Jill Quirt, Alex Morin, Sarah M. Mah, Ronald G. Barr, W. Thomas Boyce, and Michael S. Kobor in Development and Psychopathology. Published online November 22 2017 doi:10.1017/S0954579417001213 -- source link

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