Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and MRNA Aging Signature

Cecilia Potente , Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University
Mike Shanahan, University of Zurich
Justin Chumbley, Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich
Wenjia Xu, Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich
Lauren Gaydosh, Vanderbilt University
Brandt Levitt, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Steve Cole, University of California, Los Angeles
Kathleen Mullan Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is linked to mortality and several forms of morbidity although the mechanism through which these associations emerge is still not well understood. Using recently-collected mRNA abundance data in Wave V of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, this study examines how ACEs are related to gene expression markers of biological aging. We test the hypothesis that the experience of adversities early in life correlates with a mRNA expression marker of biological age. The analyses focus on social trajectory and cumulative exposure models, taking into account adult socioeconomic attainment and health behaviors. Preliminary results show an association between ACEs and mRNA aging signature. Accelerated aging is associated both with ever experiencing one of the ACEs as well as with the number of negative events. Further analysis will examine the pathways from ACEs to health in mid-adulthood through a differential gene expression analysis.

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 Presented in Session 85. Early Life Conditions and Health