Identifying causative mechanisms linking early-life stress to psycho-cardio-metabolic multi-morbidity: The EarlyCause project
Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Study Protocol
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Depression, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are among the major non-communicable diseases, leading to significant disability and mortality worldwide. These diseases may share environmental and genetic determinants associated with multimorbid patterns. Stressful early-life events are among the primary factors associated with the development of mental and physical diseases. However, possible causative mechanisms linking early life stress (ELS) with psycho-cardio-metabolic (PCM) multi-morbidity are not well understood. This prevents a full understanding of causal pathways towards the shared risk of these diseases and the development of coordinated preventive and therapeutic interventions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This paper describes the study protocol for EarlyCause, a large-scale and inter-disciplinary research project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The project takes advantage of human longitudinal birth cohort data, animal studies and cellular models to test the hypothesis of shared mechanisms and molecular pathways by which ELS shapes an individual's physical and mental health in adulthood. The study will research in detail how ELS converts into biological signals embedded simultaneously or sequentially in the brain, the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. The research will mainly focus on four biological processes including possible alterations of the epigenome, neuroendocrine system, inflammatome, and the gut microbiome. Life-course models will integrate the role of modifying factors as sex, socioeconomics, and lifestyle with the goal to better identify groups at risk as well as inform promising strategies to reverse the possible mechanisms and/or reduce the impact of ELS on multi-morbidity development in high-risk individuals. These strategies will help better manage the impact of multi-morbidity on human health and the associated risk.
Source: PLoS ONE
Authors: Nicole Mariani, Alessandra Borsini, Charlotte A.M. Cecil, Janine F. Felix, Sylvain Sebert, Annamaria Cattaneo, Esther Walton, Yuri Milaneschi, Guy Cochrane, Clara Amid, Jeena Rajan, Juliette Giacobbe, Yolanda Sanz, Ana Agustí, Tania Sorg, Yann Herault, Jouko Miettunen, Priyanka Parmar, Nadia Cattane, Vincent Jaddoe, Jyrki Lötjönen, Carme Buisan, Miguel A. González Ballester, Gemma Piella, Josep L. Gelpi, Femke Lamers, Brenda WJH Penninx, Henning Tiemeier, Malte von Tottleben, Rainer Thiel, Katharina F. Heil, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Carmine Pariante, Isabelle M. Mansuy, Karim Lekadir
Institutions: King's College London, Erasmus MC, University of Bristol, MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Imperial College London, University of Oulu, University of Milan, Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, University of Bath, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, European Bioinformatics Institute, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inserm, Institut de génétique et de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université de Strasbourg, Oulu University Hospital, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Universitat de Barcelona, Harvard University, empirica - Communication and Technology Research, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Brunel University of London, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,749
Awards: G1766135064, AMBROSIAC - A Menu for Brain Responses Opposing Stress-Induced Alterations in Cognition, G434337789, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, NIHR Senior Investigator Award, NIHR Senior Investigator Award, Causative mechanisms & integrative models linking early-life-stress to psycho-cardio-metabolic multi-morbidity
OpenAlex ID: W3123630325