Socially Stratified Epigenetic Profiles Are Associated With Cognitive Functioning in Children and Adolescents

Children’s cognitive functioning and educational performance are socially stratified. Social inequality, including classism and racism, may operate partly via epigenetic mechanisms that modulate neurocognitive development. Following preregistered analyses of data from 1,183 participants, ages 8 to 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological science 2023-02, Vol.34 (2), p.170-185
Main Authors: Raffington, Laurel, Tanksley, Peter T., Sabhlok, Aditi, Vinnik, Liza, Mallard, Travis, King, Lucy S., Goosby, Bridget, Harden, K. Paige, Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Child
Children
Classism
Cognition
Cognitive ability
Cognitive functioning
Comprehension
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Disadvantaged
Discrimination
DNA
DNA methylation
Epigenesis, Genetic
Epigenetics
Ethnic groups
Ethnic neighborhoods
Executive Function
Health disparities
Humans
Inflammation
Laboratory tests
Life
Marginality
Minority & ethnic groups
Minority groups
Neighborhoods
Neurocognition
Perceptual speed
Problem Solving
Racism
Social factors
Social inequality
Young Adult
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Summary:Children’s cognitive functioning and educational performance are socially stratified. Social inequality, including classism and racism, may operate partly via epigenetic mechanisms that modulate neurocognitive development. Following preregistered analyses of data from 1,183 participants, ages 8 to 19 years, from the Texas Twin Project, we found that children growing up in more socioeconomically disadvantaged families and neighborhoods and children from marginalized racial/ethnic groups exhibit DNA methylation profiles that, in previous studies of adults, were indicative of higher chronic inflammation, lower cognitive functioning, and a faster pace of biological aging. Furthermore, children’s salivary DNA methylation profiles were associated with their performance on in-laboratory tests of cognitive and academic skills, including processing speed, general executive function, perceptual reasoning, verbal comprehension, reading, and math. Given that the DNA methylation measures that we examined were originally developed in adults, our results suggest that children show molecular signatures that reflect the early life social determinants of lifelong disparities in health and cognition.
ISSN:0956-7976
1467-9280
1467-9280
DOI:10.1177/09567976221122760