Preliminary effects of an attachment-based intervention on DNA methylation of oxytocin receptor gene in mothers with opioid dependency
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The opioid epidemic has heightened the negative impact of opioids on children born to mothers currently experiencing opioid dependency. A modification of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catchup (ABC) intervention, an attachment-based parenting intervention empirically supported for children at risk for developmental challenges, is currently being tested via randomized clinical trial (RCT) with pregnant women in medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependency. Despite a comprehensive understanding of the primary intervention mechanism and pathways of change in children who receive the intervention, less is understood about mechanisms underlying the persistent changes observed in parents who receive the intervention. Epigenetic regulation through DNA methylation is one such candidate mechanism, with methylation of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) of particular interest due to the role of oxytocin in attachment-related behavior. The current study examined OXTR methylation and maternal behavior in women randomized to receive either the modified ABC (mABC) intervention or a control intervention (mDEF). Methylation was measured in mothers via saliva sampling at pre-intervention (third trimester of pregnancy through 1 month postpartum) and when children were 6 and 12 months old, with maternal behavior observed during a semi-structured play task at 12 months. Contrary to hypothesized findings, women who received mABC did not show significant differences in OXTR methylation at post-intervention compared to women who receive mDEF, nor altered patterns of DNA methylation change from pre-intervention through the 12-month assessment. However, hypomethylation of OXTR3 at 6 months was associated with increased maternal sensitivity as predicted, though there was an unexpected association between hypermethylation of OXTR3 at 12 months and increased maternal sensitivity. There was no association between OXTR methylation and either positive regard or intrusiveness. These preliminary findings from an RCT of modified ABC for mothers with opioid dependency fail to support OXTR methylation as a biological mechanism supporting lasting behavior change in mothers participating in this brief parenting intervention. They do, however, highlight the importance of the oxytocin system in humans for attachment-related parenting behaviors.
Description
Keywords
DNA methylation, Early intervention, Epigenetics, Opioids, Oxytocin