Epigenetic Clock Deceleration and Maternal Reproductive Efforts: Associations With Increasing Gray Matter Volume of the Precuneus

• DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.803584
• Publication Date: 2022-03-01T07:38:58Z
• Authors: Shota Nishitani; Ryoko Kasaba; Daiki Hiraoka; Koji Shimada; Takashi X. Fujisawa; Hidehiko Okazawa; Akemi Tomoda
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; DNA methyaltion; 03 medical and health sciences; voxel-based morphometry (VBM); longevity; Genetics; QH426-470; imaging epigenetics; maternal brain

Reproductive efforts, such as pregnancy, delivery, and interaction with children, make maternal brains optimized for child-rearing. However, extensive studies in non-human species revealed a tradeoff between reproductive effort life expectancy. In humans, large demographic have shown that this is the case most part; however, molecular marker regarding aging remain controversial. There are no simultaneously evaluating relationship effort, aging, brain structures. We therefore examined associations efforts (parity status, number of deliveries, motherhood period, cumulative period), DNA methylation age (mAge) acceleration (based on Horvath's multi-tissue clock skin & blood clock), regional gray matter volumes (obtained through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using voxel-based morphometry) 51 mothers aged 27-46 years children early childhood. found increasing were significantly associated decelerated one to four even after adjusting confounding effects multiple linear regression models. also left precuneus volume was larger deceleration occurred; volume, other hand, mediates parity status mAge deceleration. Our findings suggest childhood, who had less than may benefit from mediated via structural changes precuneus.