@article{ref1,
title="Altered hair endocannabinoid levels in mothers with childhood maltreatment and their newborns",
journal="Biological psychology",
year="2018",
author="Koenig, Alexandra Maria and Gao, Wei and Umlauft, Maria and Schury, Katharina and Reister, Frank and Kirschbaum, Clemens and Karabatsiakis, Alexander and Kolassa, Iris-Tatjana",
volume="135",
number="",
pages="93-101",
abstract="The endocannabinoid (EC) system possesses anti-inflammatory properties and seems to be altered in trauma-exposed individuals. In an intergenerational approach, this study investigated the link between childhood maltreatment (CM) experiences and alterations in the EC system. Hair samples of N = 142 mothers and N = 91 newborns were analyzed, retrospectively assessing EC regulation during the last trimester of pregnancy with four ECs: 1-arachidonoylglycerol (1-AG), N-oleoylethanolamide (OEA), N-stearoylethanolamide (SEA), and N-palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). Compared to mothers without CM, hair of mothers with CM showed significantly higher levels of 1-AG and lower levels of SEA. Newborns of mothers with CM exhibited higher levels of 1-AG and OEA. Furthermore, the higher the severity of maternal CM, the lower were maternal SEA levels and the higher neonatal OEA levels. <br><br>FINDINGS indicate altered EC levels during the last trimester of pregnancy in mothers with CM and their developing fetus, highlighting potential intergenerational effects from one generation to the other.<br><br>Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0301-0511",
doi="10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.03.006",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.03.006"
}