Childhood trauma linked to biological aging and gaze avoidance
Childhood maltreatment is associated with accelerated biological aging and a tendency to avoid looking at people’s eyes. New research published in PLOS One indicates that these physical and behavioral changes occur independently in children who have suffered abuse. Both of these responses map onto higher rates of emotional and behavioral difficulties, offering researchers a better idea of how early trauma shapes human development. Biological aging can happen at a different pace than chronological aging. One way scientists measure biological age is by looking at epigenetics. Epigenetics involves chemical modifications to DNA that alter how genes are expressed without changing the underlying genetic code. Specifically, researchers look at DNA methylation, a process where tiny molecular tags attach to certain parts of the genome. As people age, the pattern of these tags changes in a predictable way. In recent years, researchers have developed epigenetic clocks that use these methylation patterns to estimate a person’s biological age. Extreme stress and trauma have been linked to accelerated epigenetic aging in adults. Being exposed to adverse childhood experiences can force …
