Perinatal maternal alcohol consumption and methylation of the dopamine receptor DRD4 in the offspring: The Triple B study

PD Fransquet; D Hutchinson; CA Olsson; J Wilson; S Allsop; J Najman; E Elliott; RP Mattick; R Saffery; J Ryan

Journal article

Perinatal maternal alcohol consumption and methylation of the dopamine receptor DRD4 in the offspring: The Triple B study

PD Fransquet, D Hutchinson, CA Olsson, J Wilson, S Allsop, J Najman, E Elliott, RP Mattick, R Saffery, J Ryan

Environmental Epigenetics | OXFORD UNIV PRESS | Published : 2016

DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvw023

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Abstract

Maternal alcohol use during the perinatal period is a major public health issue, the higher ends of which are associated with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and a range of adverse health outcomes in the progeny. The underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown but may include the epigenetic disruption of gene activity during development. Alcohol directly activates the neurotransmitter dopamine, which plays an essential role in neurodevelopment. To investigate whether antenatal and early postnatal alcohol consumption were associated with differential dopamine receptor DRD4 promoter methylation in infants (n = 844). Data were drawn from the large population based Triple B pregnancy..

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Richard Saffery Author

Jesse T Young Author

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Awarded by National Science Foundation

Funding Acknowledgements

This study is funded by a grant from the Financial Markets Foundation for Children (Australia) to C.A.O., D.H. and J.R. (2015-252). The Triple B study was funded by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant #GNT630517 for $2 196 179 to R.P.M., D.H., S.A., J.N., E.E., Lucy Burns, Sue Jacobs, C.A.O. and Anne Bartu and was financially supported by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), University of New South Wales. NDARC and the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI), Curtin University are funded by the Australian Government under the Substance Misuse Prevention and Service Improvements Grants Fund. D.H. is supported by an Australian Unity Industry Partner Senior Research Fellowship, and C.A.O. is supported by an Australian Research Council Senior Research Fellowship (DORA: DP 130101459). R.P.M. is supported by an NHMRC Principal Research Fellowship Award, E.E. by an NHMRC Practitioner Fellowship (APP1021480) and R.S. by an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowships (APP1045161).