Methylation at 5HTT Mediates the Impact of Child Sex Abuse on Women's Antisocial Behavior: An Examination of the Iowa Adoptee Sample

Abstract

Child sex abuse may create long-lasting changes in methylation of the promoter region of 5HTT in women. Furthermore, hypermethylation may be one mechanism linking childhood sex abuse to changes in risk for adult antisocial behavior in women. Better understanding of the methylome may prove critical in understanding the role of childhood environments on long-term psychiatric sequelae.