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'Harsh' living conditions may age children too quickly

Children growing up in harsh environments and circumstances can age them. Children in severely disadvantaged conditions can experience drastic chromosome ageing (New Scientist, April 7, 2014).

Penn State University in University Park, in the United States, conducted tests on forty boys, all 9 years of age, half of whom grew up in extremely 'harsh' backgrounds and half of whom grew up in 'privileged' homes, to see the affect on their chromosomes. The researchers were particularly looking at telomeres – the caps on the ends of chromosomes that shrink each time cells divide. Telomeres protect chromosomes from damage.

The researchers noted that the telomeres could shorten under severe conditions. Some telomeres were as short as those from a person decades older.

The boys whose mothers who had changed partners more than once by the time their son was 9 years old had telomeres 40% shorter than the boys whose mothers had not changed relationships. Harsh parenting and younger mothers also resulted in shorter telomeres in their sons.

The boys whose mothers had gone to college had 35% longer telomeres on average than the boys whose mothers had not gone to college.

The researchers also noted that particular genetic mutations seemed to make children more sensitive to their environment. Serotonin and dopamine were more prevalent in the long telomeres of children from backgrounds that were not harsh. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter – a chemical substance – that transmits nerve impulses across synapses. Higher levels of serotonin help relieve symptoms of depression. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, and regulates movement and emotional responses. People with low dopamine activity may be more prone to addiction.

Daniel Notterman of Penn State University has cautioned that the link between shorter telomeres and health outcomes is not yet fully established. However, the research has shown “profound change” in children’s telomeres by the time they are 9 years old.

Due to the small sample size, the researchers plan to extend the study to include 1,000 children and follow them to the age of 15 years of age to determine whether there is a significant link between harsh living conditions and children’s health. Given that some living conditions are not easily prevented or changed, another step could be to determine how to mitigate any negative affects on children’s health as they grow.

Journal Reference: PNAS, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1404293111
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25370-harsh-world-makes-kids-chromosomes-look-middleaged.html#.U0RJcj_NvIU
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