Enduring memory consequences of early-life stress / adversity: Structural, synaptic, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms

Adverse early life experiences are strongly associated with reduced cognitive function throughout life. The link is strong in many human studies, but these do not enable assigning causality, and the limited access to the live human brain can impede establishing the mechanisms by which early-life adv...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tallie Z. Baram, Matthew T. Birnie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Neurobiology of Stress
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352289524000651
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Adverse early life experiences are strongly associated with reduced cognitive function throughout life. The link is strong in many human studies, but these do not enable assigning causality, and the limited access to the live human brain can impede establishing the mechanisms by which early-life adversity (ELA) may induce cognitive problems. In experimental models, artificially imposed chronic ELA/stress results in deficits in hippocampus dependent memory as well as increased vulnerability to the deleterious effects of adult stress on memory. This causal relation of ELA and life-long memory impairments provides a framework to probe the mechanisms by which ELA may lead to human cognitive problems. Here we focus on the consequences of a one-week exposure to adversity during early postnatal life in the rodent, the spectrum of the ensuing memory deficits, and the mechanisms responsible. We highlight molecular, cellular and circuit mechanisms using convergent trans-disciplinary approaches aiming to enable translation of the discoveries in experimental models to the clinic.
ISSN:2352-2895