Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40493684›Full record

ArticleEpigenetics2025

Differential methylation patterns in cord blood associated with prenatal exposure to neighborhood crime: an epigenome-wide association study and regional analysis.

Chantel L Martin, Jiawen Chen, Alena S D'Alessio, Cavin K Ward-Caviness, Ai Ye, Evans K Lodge, Lea Ghastine, Radhika Dhingra, Dereje D Jima, Susan K Murphy and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Epigenetics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Chantel L MartinDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1907-0810
Jiawen ChenDepartment of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Alena S D'AlessioDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Cavin K Ward-CavinessCenter for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA.
Ai YeDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Evans K LodgeDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Lea GhastineDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Radhika DhingraDepartment of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Dereje D JimaDepartment of Biological Sciences, Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Susan K MurphyDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Cathrine HoyoDepartment of Biological Sciences, Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.

Funding

Biostatstics for Research in Environmental HealthT32ES007018 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Stephanie Engel, Rebecca Fry · 1985 to 2026
$31.3M
Translational Research Support CoreP30ES025128 · NIEHS · NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY RALEIGH · PI Sue Fenton · 2015 to 2026
$18.3M
POPULATION STUDIEST32HD007168 · NICHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI ELIZABETH A FRANKENBERG · 1985 to 2026
$13.8M
Prenatal stress and diet, and the fetal epigenomeR01MD017696 · NIMHD · NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY RALEIGH · PI Cathrine Hoyo · 2022 to 2026
$3.2M
Obesity and deregulation of imprinted genes in early lifeR01DK085173 · NIDDK · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI HOYO, CATHRINE, MURPHY, SUSAN KAY · 2010 to 2013
$2.3M
Epigenetic mechanisms of prenatal environmental stressors and offspring obesity riskR00MD012808 · NIMHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI MARTIN, CHANTEL L. · 2020 to 2022
$693k
Epigenetic influence on early childhood self-regulation capacities and obesityR21AG041048 · NIA · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI FUEMMELER, BERNARD F · 2011 to 2012
$432k
Epigenetic mechanisms of prenatal environmental stressors and offspring obesity riskK99MD012808 · NIMHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI MARTIN, CHANTEL L. · 2018 to 2019
$182k
Socioenvironmental Causes of Elevated Toxic Metal Levels and Epigenetic AgingF30ES032302 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI LODGE, EVANS · 2021 to 2023
$124k
NIA NIH HHS L60 AG084486NIA NIH HHS R21 AG041048NICHD NIH HHS T32 HD007168NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK085173NIEHS NIH HHS F30 ES032302NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES025128NIEHS NIH HHS T32 ES007018NIMHD NIH HHS K99 MD012808NIMHD NIH HHS L60 MD011014NIMHD NIH HHS R00 MD012808NIMHD NIH HHS R01 MD017696
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Exposure to prenatal social stressors during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes and has been linked to epigenetic changes in DNA methylation (DNAm); however, less understood is the effect of neighborhood-level stressors like crime during pregnancy on offspring DNAm. Using data from the Newborn Epigenetic Study, we conducted epigenome-wide and regional analyses of the association between exposure to neighborhood crime and DNAm in offspring cord blood using Illumina's HumanMethylation450k BeadChip among 185 mother-offspring pairs. Prenatal exposure to neighborhood crime at the census block group level was mapped to participants' residential addresses during the gestational window from the date of last menstrual period to delivery. Models for the epigenome-wide and regional analyses were adjusted for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, cell-type composition, and offspring sex. Genetic influence and gene expression enrichment were assessed using methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) and expression quantitative trait methylation (eQTMs) analyses. Functional enrichment was determined using Gene Ontology and KEGG databases. We did not find evidence of epigenome-wide associations between prenatal neighborhood crime exposure and DNAm; however, we identified nine differentially methylated regions (DMRs) comprising 51 CpG sites associated with neighborhood crime. CpG sites within significant differentially methylated regions were associated with mQTLs at birth and eQTMs upon further examination. KEGG analysis identified a significant Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation pathway. Our results suggest potential links between prenatal neighborhood crime exposure and offspring DNAm; however, additional research is needed in larger cohorts across wider geographic areas to confirm our results.

Indexed as

CrimeDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticFetal BloodPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsAdultEpigenomeFemaleGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansInfant, NewbornMaleNeighborhood CharacteristicsPregnancyQuantitative Trait Locicord bloodDNA methylationEWASneighborhood crimeregional analysissocial epigenomics

Identifiers

PMID40493684
PMCPMC12153387

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.