Research Network on Later-Life Interventions to Reverse Effects of Early Life Adversity
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Institute of Child Health
Abstract
The goal of the proposed research network will be to identify opportunities for later-life reversibility/remediation of phenotypes associated with early life adversity (ELA) by bringing together an international group of senior and junior scientists to foster and facilitate the interdisciplinary research needed to stimulate rapid advances in this field. The network will: (a) promote needed increases in scientific knowledge regarding the array of processes and pathways through which different ELAs (e.g., low socio-economic status [SES], stressful experiences, poor parent-child relationships, maternal nutrition and lifestyle) may similarly or differentially impact later life health and well-being, and (b) leverage evidence from (a) to promote development and evaluation of novel later-life interventions to reverse/reduce risk processes related to ELAs. Specific aims for this network will be to: (1). Build capacity to advance interdisciplinary research exploring the potential for midlife reversibility of or/compensation for risks conferred by ELA by convening biannual international, interdisciplinary meetings of researchers with expertise spanning animal and human research and a shared interest in collaborative work to: (a) foster better understanding of the life-course mechanisms/pathways linking ELA to trajectories of later life health and well-being; (b) develop and test later-life interventions to reduce or even completely reverse risks to health and well-being associated with ELA, and (c) identify resource needs to advance this agenda and devise strategies for their development. (2). Support new research on "reversibility/remediation" through seed/pilot funding; (3). Bring new researchers into the field by offering opportunities for engagement in network activities, including (a) collaborations on pilot or other projects, (b) participation in network meetings/workshops as affiliated researchers, and (c) funded "internships" with network researchers; and (4). Pursue active out-reach through dissemination and engagement with the broader research community through: (a) a network website; (b) annual network workshops or symposia at various professional meetings that include disciplinary interests in life-course influences on early adversity, and (c) publishing one or more articles or a special issue on the potential for later-life reversibility/remediation for ELA, focused on potential bio-behavioral or other targets and promising intervention approaches. In accomplishing these aims, the proposed network will (a) contribute significantly to promoting needed theoretical and empirical work to clarify how major ELAs impact adult health and well-being, including addressing unanswered questions regarding the mediators and moderators of these influences at different life-stages and (b) support and promote the interdisciplinary collaborations needed to develop effective interventions for mid- and later life adults that can remediate/reverse and therefore to ameliorate effects of early life adversity.
Planned Impact
N/A
Organisations
Publications
Berman IS
(2022)
Measuring early life adversity: A dimensional approach.
in Development and psychopathology
Ziauddeen N
(2022)
Interpregnancy weight gain and childhood obesity: analysis of a UK population-based cohort.
in International journal of obesity (2005)
Robinson N
(2021)
Childhood DNA methylation as a marker of early life rapid weight gain and subsequent overweight.
in Clinical epigenetics
Atanasov AG
(2021)
Natural products in drug discovery: advances and opportunities.
in Nature reviews. Drug discovery
Titcombe P
(2021)
Human non-CpG methylation patterns display both tissue-specific and inter-individual differences suggestive of underlying function
in Epigenetics
Dalrymple KV
(2021)
Modifiable early life exposures associated with adiposity and obesity in 3-year old children born to mothers with obesity.
in Pediatric obesity
Ooi D
(2020)
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease: Impact of environmental dust exposure in modulating microbiome and its association with non-communicable diseases
in Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Sheridan MA
(2020)
Network structure reveals clusters of associations between childhood adversities and development outcomes.
in Developmental science
Dalrymple KV
(2020)
Associations between dietary patterns, eating behaviours, and body composition and adiposity in 3-year-old children of mothers with obesity.
in Pediatric obesity
Flynn A
(2020)
Childhood dietary patterns and body composition at age 6 years: the Children of Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study
in British Journal of Nutrition
Power C
(2020)
An overview of child maltreatment (neglect and abuse) associations with developmental trajectories and long-term outcomes in the 1958 British birth cohort.
in Longitudinal and life course studies : international journal
Dalrymple K
(2020)
Adiposity and cardiovascular outcomes in three-year-old children of participants in UPBEAT , an RCT of a complex intervention in pregnant women with obesity
in Pediatric Obesity
Taylor EJ
(2020)
Change in modifiable maternal characteristics and behaviours between consecutive pregnancies and offspring adiposity: A systematic review.
in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
Lillycrop KA
(2019)
Differential SLC6A4 methylation: a predictive epigenetic marker of adiposity from birth to adulthood.
in International journal of obesity (2005)
Dalrymple KV
(2019)
Relationships of maternal body mass index and plasma biomarkers with childhood body mass index and adiposity at 6 years: The Children of SCOPE study.
in Pediatric obesity
Pinto Pereira S
(2019)
Understanding associations of early-life adversities with mid-life inflammatory profiles: Evidence from the UK and USA
in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
Karlamangla A
(2019)
Early-Life Adversity and Dysregulation of Adult Diurnal Cortisol Rhythm
in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B
Karlamangla A
(2019)
Early-life adversity and dysregulation of adult diurnal cortisol rhythm
in Psychoneuroendocrinology
Reiss D
(2019)
Midlife reversibility of early-established biobehavioral risk factors: A research agenda.
in Developmental Psychology
Widom CS
(2019)
Are Retrospective Self-reports Accurate Representations or Existential Recollections?
in JAMA psychiatry
Chiang J
(2019)
Daily interpersonal stress, sleep duration, and gene regulation during late adolescence
in Psychoneuroendocrinology
Crozier S
(2019)
Vegetarian Diet during Pregnancy Is Not Associated with Poorer Cognitive Performance in Children at Age 6-7 Years
in Nutrients
Samuel TM
(2019)
Preterm Birth: A Narrative Review of the Current Evidence on Nutritional and Bioactive Solutions for Risk Reduction.
in Nutrients