Early-life adversities, whether prenatal or postnatal exposure, have been linked to adverse mental health outcomes later in life increasing the risk of several psychiatric disorders. Research on its neurobiological consequences demonstrated an association between exposure to adversities and persistent alterations in the structure, function, and connectivity of the brain. Consistent evidence supports the idea that regulation of gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms are involved in embedding the impact of early-life experiences in the genome and mediate between social environments and later behavioral phenotypes. In addition, studies from rodent models and humans suggest that these experiences and the acquired risk factors can be transmitted through epigenetic mechanisms to offspring and the following generations potentially contributing to a cycle of disease or disease risk. However, one of the important aspects of epigenetic mechanisms, unlike genetic sequences that are fixed and unchangeable, is that although the epigenetic markings are long-lasting, they are nevertheless potentially reversible. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the mental health consequences derived from early-life exposure to malnutrition, maltreatment and poverty, adversities with huge and pervasive impact on mental health. We also discuss the evidence about transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mammals and experimental data suggesting that suitable social and pharmacological interventions could reverse adverse epigenetic modifications induced by early-life negative social experiences. In this regard, these studies must be accompanied by efforts to determine the causes that promote these adversities and that result in health inequity in the population.

中文翻译：

---

将早年逆境与心理健康联系起来的表观遗传机制

早年的逆境，无论是产前还是产后的暴露，都与日后不良的心理健康结果有关，增加了罹患多种精神疾病的风险。对其神经生物学后果的研究表明，暴露于逆境与大脑结构、功能和连通性的持续改变之间存在关联。一致的证据支持这样的观点，即通过表观遗传机制调节基因表达涉及将早期生活经历的影响嵌入基因组中，并在社会环境和后来的行为表型之间发挥中介作用。此外，对啮齿动物模型和人类的研究表明，这些经历和获得的风险因素可以通过表观遗传机制传递给后代和后代，可能导致疾病或疾病风险的循环。然而，与固定且不可改变的基因序列不同，表观遗传机制的重要方面之一是，尽管表观遗传标记是持久的，但它们仍然可能是可逆的。在这篇综述中，我们总结了我们目前对表观遗传机制的理解，这些机制涉及因早年营养不良、虐待和贫困以及对心理健康产生巨大而普遍影响的逆境而产生的心理健康后果。我们还讨论了有关哺乳动物跨代表观遗传的证据和实验数据，这些数据表明适当的社会和药物干预可以逆转由早期生活负面社会经历引起的不利表观遗传修饰。在这方面，这些研究必须同时努力确定导致这些逆境和导致人口健康不平等的原因。