Internalizing Symptoms Associate with the Pace of Epigenetic Aging in Childhood

Marieke S. Tollenaar; Roseriet Beijers; Elika Garg; Thao T. T. Nguyen; David T S Lin; Julia L. MacIsaac; Idan Shalev; Michael Steffen Kobor; Michael Joseph Meaney; Kieran J. O’Donnell; Carolina de Weerth

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108021

GeneticsBiological PsychologyJan 18, 2021

Peer-reviewed journal article

Internalizing Symptoms Associate with the Pace of Epigenetic Aging in Childhood

Marieke S. Tollenaar iD, Roseriet Beijers iD, Elika Garg iD, Thao T. T. Nguyen iD, David T S Lin iD, Julia L. MacIsaac iD, Idan Shalev iD, Michael Steffen Kobor iD, Michael Joseph Meaney iD, Kieran J. O’Donnell iD, Carolina de Weerth iD

Abstract

Childhood psychiatric symptoms may be associated with advanced biological aging. This study examined whether epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) associates with internalizing and externalizing symptoms across childhood in a longitudinal cohort study. At age 6 buccal epithelial cells from 148 children (69 girls) were collected to survey genome-wide DNA methylation. EAA was estimated using the Horvath clock. Internalizing symptoms at ages 2.5 and 4 years significantly predicted higher EAA at age 6, which in turn was significantly associated with internalizing symptoms from ages 6 to 10 years. Similar trends for externalizing symptoms did not reach significance. These findings indicate advanced biological aging in relation to child mental health and may help better identify those at risk for lasting impairments associated with internalizing disorders.

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