Serum cholesterol, MTHFR methylation, and symptoms of depression in children

Maurissa Sydney Chapman Mesirow; Susanna Louise Roberts; Charlotte Cecil; Barbara Maughan; Felice N. Jacka; Caroline Relton; Edward Barker

doi:10.1037/dev0000831

Serum cholesterol, MTHFR methylation, and symptoms of depression in children

Maurissa Sydney Chapman Mesirow, Susanna Louise Roberts, Charlotte Cecil, Barbara Maughan, Felice N. Jacka, Caroline Relton, Edward Barker

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Depression is associated with dietary factors and epigenetics. Serum cholesterol, which is prone to dietary influences, has been linked to symptoms of depression. This relationship may be (in part) due to altered epigenetic regulation of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR). MTHFR codes for the MTHFR enzyme, which has diverse metabolic functions, and has recently been linked individually with diet, serum cholesterol levels and depressive symptoms. In 514 mother-child pairs, we examined prospective relationships between maternal (pregnancy) and child (7 years) serum cholesterol, MTHFR DNA methylation (DNAm; birth, 7 years), and development of depression symptoms from 8-15 years. After adjusting for potential confounding, we had three main findings. First, higher prenatal cholesterol associated (at a small effect size) with higher MTHFR DNAm at birth. Second, there was small effect size continuity for MTHFR DNAm between birth and age 7. Third, higher age 7 MTHFR DNAm associated with higher initial symptoms of depression symptoms at age 8, again at a small effect size. Overall, our findings provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between prenatal cholesterol, MTHFR DNAm, and symptoms of depression in children.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	in press
Journal	Developmental Psychology
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000831
Publication status	Published - 2019

Keywords

ALSPAC
Cholesterol
Depression
Epigenetics
MTHFR

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10.1037/dev0000831

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title = "Serum cholesterol, MTHFR methylation, and symptoms of depression in children",

abstract = "Depression is associated with dietary factors and epigenetics. Serum cholesterol, which is prone to dietary influences, has been linked to symptoms of depression. This relationship may be (in part) due to altered epigenetic regulation of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR). MTHFR codes for the MTHFR enzyme, which has diverse metabolic functions, and has recently been linked individually with diet, serum cholesterol levels and depressive symptoms. In 514 mother-child pairs, we examined prospective relationships between maternal (pregnancy) and child (7 years) serum cholesterol, MTHFR DNA methylation (DNAm; birth, 7 years), and development of depression symptoms from 8-15 years. After adjusting for potential confounding, we had three main findings. First, higher prenatal cholesterol associated (at a small effect size) with higher MTHFR DNAm at birth. Second, there was small effect size continuity for MTHFR DNAm between birth and age 7. Third, higher age 7 MTHFR DNAm associated with higher initial symptoms of depression symptoms at age 8, again at a small effect size. Overall, our findings provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between prenatal cholesterol, MTHFR DNAm, and symptoms of depression in children.",

keywords = "ALSPAC, Cholesterol, Depression, Epigenetics, MTHFR",

author = "{Chapman Mesirow}, {Maurissa Sydney} and Roberts, {Susanna Louise} and Charlotte Cecil and Barbara Maughan and Jacka, {Felice N.} and Caroline Relton and Edward Barker",

year = "2019",

doi = "10.1037/dev0000831",

language = "English",

pages = "in press",

journal = "Developmental Psychology",

issn = "0012-1649",

publisher = "American Psychological Association Inc.",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Serum cholesterol, MTHFR methylation, and symptoms of depression in children

AU - Chapman Mesirow, Maurissa Sydney

AU - Roberts, Susanna Louise

AU - Cecil, Charlotte

AU - Maughan, Barbara

AU - Jacka, Felice N.

AU - Relton, Caroline

AU - Barker, Edward

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Depression is associated with dietary factors and epigenetics. Serum cholesterol, which is prone to dietary influences, has been linked to symptoms of depression. This relationship may be (in part) due to altered epigenetic regulation of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR). MTHFR codes for the MTHFR enzyme, which has diverse metabolic functions, and has recently been linked individually with diet, serum cholesterol levels and depressive symptoms. In 514 mother-child pairs, we examined prospective relationships between maternal (pregnancy) and child (7 years) serum cholesterol, MTHFR DNA methylation (DNAm; birth, 7 years), and development of depression symptoms from 8-15 years. After adjusting for potential confounding, we had three main findings. First, higher prenatal cholesterol associated (at a small effect size) with higher MTHFR DNAm at birth. Second, there was small effect size continuity for MTHFR DNAm between birth and age 7. Third, higher age 7 MTHFR DNAm associated with higher initial symptoms of depression symptoms at age 8, again at a small effect size. Overall, our findings provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between prenatal cholesterol, MTHFR DNAm, and symptoms of depression in children.

AB - Depression is associated with dietary factors and epigenetics. Serum cholesterol, which is prone to dietary influences, has been linked to symptoms of depression. This relationship may be (in part) due to altered epigenetic regulation of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR). MTHFR codes for the MTHFR enzyme, which has diverse metabolic functions, and has recently been linked individually with diet, serum cholesterol levels and depressive symptoms. In 514 mother-child pairs, we examined prospective relationships between maternal (pregnancy) and child (7 years) serum cholesterol, MTHFR DNA methylation (DNAm; birth, 7 years), and development of depression symptoms from 8-15 years. After adjusting for potential confounding, we had three main findings. First, higher prenatal cholesterol associated (at a small effect size) with higher MTHFR DNAm at birth. Second, there was small effect size continuity for MTHFR DNAm between birth and age 7. Third, higher age 7 MTHFR DNAm associated with higher initial symptoms of depression symptoms at age 8, again at a small effect size. Overall, our findings provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between prenatal cholesterol, MTHFR DNAm, and symptoms of depression in children.

KW - ALSPAC

KW - Cholesterol

KW - Depression

KW - Epigenetics

KW - MTHFR

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U2 - 10.1037/dev0000831

DO - 10.1037/dev0000831

M3 - Article

SN - 0012-1649

SP - in press

JO - Developmental Psychology

JF - Developmental Psychology

ER -

Serum cholesterol, MTHFR methylation, and symptoms of depression in children

Abstract

Keywords

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