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Individuals exposed to extreme levels of early life stress are at increased risk for developing a range of mood and behavioral disorders. Investigators sought to determine if the association noted in animals between early life stress and methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene involved in the stress response is also found in children. They recruited 56 children (30 boys; age range, 11–14 years; 66% white); 18 had documented history of physical maltreatment in Child Protective Services records. DNA from blood leukocytes was examined for changes in the glucocorticoid receptor promoter gene NR3C1.
Maltreated children were similar in age, sex, and race/ethnicity to those without a history of maltreatment, but were from families with lowe…