Laurel Raffington

Genomics of Educational Attainment Across 80 Years of Social and Political Transformation in Germany

The paper examines how polygenic indices for educational attainment change across birth cohorts and regions in Germany, finding stronger associations in recent cohorts and the East but weaker effects for women.

Linked emergence of racial disparities in mental health and epigenetic biological aging across childhood and adolescence

The paper examines the link between racial disparities in mental health and epigenetic biological aging across childhood and adolescence using a birth cohort study.

From genetic disposition to academic achievement: The mediating role of non-cognitive skills across development

This study shows non-cognitive skills mediate genetic effects on academic achievement, accounting for up to 64% of the total effect across development.

Hippocampus and Striatum Showed Distinct Contributions to Longitudinal Changes in Value-Based Learning in Middle Childhood

This study shows that hippocampal and striatal volumes in children relate to different aspects of value-based learning over two years, with hippocampus linked to delayed learning and striatum to both immediate and delayed learning.

Differences in polygenic associations with educational attainment between West and East Germany before and after reunification

The paper finds stronger polygenic associations with educational attainment in East Germans after reunification compared to West Germans.

Stability of DNA-Methylation Profiles of Biological Aging in Children and Adolescents

This study examines the stability of DNA-methylation profiles of biological aging in children and adolescents over four years, finding moderate stability and less stability compared to adults.

Genetic contributions of noncognitive skills to academic development

This study shows noncognitive skills become more predictive of academic achievement over time and their genetic contribution increases with age.

Measuring the long arm of childhood in real-time: Epigenetic predictors of BMI and social determinants of health across childhood and adolescence

This study shows that epigenetic-BMI measured from children's saliva is a valid biomarker of BMI and reflects social inequalities in childhood and adolescence.

Associations of Socioeconomic Disparities With Buccal DNA-Methylation Measures Of Biological Aging

The paper tests if socioeconomic gradients observed in blood DNA methylation measures can be reproduced using buccal-cell DNA, finding smaller effect sizes and lower cross-tissue correlations.

Socially stratified epigenetic profiles are associated with cognitive functioning in children and adolescents

The paper examines DNA-methylation profiles in children and adolescents, finding associations between social inequality and epigenetic markers of inflammation, cognitive functioning, and biological aging.

Longitudinal developmental trajectories do not follow cross-sectional age associations in hippocampal subfield and memory development

The paper compares cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in hippocampal subfield volumes and memory in children, finding discrepancies between the two approaches and no strong link between volume changes and memory gains.

Analysis of socioeconomic disadvantage and pace of aging measured in saliva DNA methylation of children and adolescents

The paper evaluates the DunedinPoAm DNA methylation measure of aging pace in children and finds socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with faster aging, unlike other epigenetic clocks.

Changing environments reveal innovative genetic variation in children's cortisol responses

The paper shows that environmental changes reveal new genetic influences on cortisol responses in children, challenging the idea that genetic variation only codes for fixed phenotypes.