Study of the clinical application of the epigenetic hypothesis in abused children

• Project/Area Number: 23591716
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: IMAMURA Akira 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 准教授 (40325642)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NARITA Minoru 星薬科大学, 薬学科, 教授 (40318613) ; KUROTAKI Naohiro 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 講師 (20423634) ; OZAWA Hiroki 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 教授 (50260766)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
• Budget Amount: ¥5,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,200,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2011: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: 児童虐待 / エピジェネティクス / 被虐待児 / DNAメチル化 / 反応性愛着障害 / アタッチメント / 発達障害 / 神経発達症群 / 虐待

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Differential diagnosis of children abused during early life and children with neurodevelopmental disorders is sometimes difficult. Treatment of these children is often very difficult because there may not only be psychological damage but also epigenetic changes.To improve the diagnosis and treatment of abused children, we planned to examine abused children and two sex-and-age-matched groups, which included children with neurodevelopmental disorders and normal children to assess the epigenetic changes in the genes, such as the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1), which may be related to child abuse.We have not detected any epigenetic differences between abused children and other children yet. We will continue this study trying to increase the number of subjects.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] 成人の発達障害を支援するII 精神科外来での診断と支援 (2014)
  • Author(s): 今村明
  • Journal Title: 精神科臨床サービス Volume: 14 Pages: 395-401
• [Journal Article] Usefulness of near-infrared spectroscopy to detect brain dysfunction in children with autism spectrum disorder when inferring the mental state of others. (2013)
  • Author(s): Iwanaga R, Tanaka G, Nakane H, Honda S, Imamura A, Ozawa H
  • Journal Title: Psychiatry Clin Neurosci Volume: 67(4) Issue: 4 Pages: 203-209
  • DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12052
  • NAID: 120006986101
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] 被虐待児と発達障害児のエピジェネティック変化の関与の可能性 (2013)
  • Author(s): 今村明
  • Journal Title: 日本精神神経学雑誌 Volume: 115
• [Journal Article] 児童精神科外来でみられる自閉症スペクトラム児の感覚の問題 (2013)
  • Author(s): 今村明、中村尚広、岩永竜一郎
  • Journal Title: チャイルド・ヘルス Volume: 16 Pages: 690-693
• [Journal Article] DNA methylation signatures of peripheral leukocytes in schizophrenia (2013)
  • Author(s): Kinoshita M, Numata S, Tajima A, Shimodera S, Ono S, Imamura A, Iga JI, Watanabe S, Kikuchi K, Kubo H, Nakataki M, Sumitani S, Imoto I, Okazaki Y, Ohmori T
  • Journal Title: Neuromolecular Med Volume: 15(1) Issue: 1 Pages: 95-101
  • DOI: 10.1007/s12017-012-8198-6
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Identification of novel schizophrenia loci by homozygosity mapping using DNA microarray analysis. (2011)
  • Author(s): Kurotaki N, Tasaki S, Mishima H, Ono S, Imamura A, Kikuchi T, Nishida N, Tokunaga K, Yoshiura K, Ozawa H
  • Journal Title: PLoS One Volume: 6
  • NAID: 120006985084
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] コピー数変異と統合失調症 (2011)
  • Author(s): 小野慎治、 黒滝直弘、木下裕久、小澤寛樹、今村明
  • Journal Title: 精神科治療学 Volume: 26 Pages: 1387-1393
• [Presentation] 触法発達障害者の対応―外来の症例を中心に― (2014)
  • Author(s): 今村明
  • Organizer: 第110回日本精神神経学会総会
  • Place of Presentation: パシフィコ横浜（神奈川県横浜市）
  • Year and Date: 2014-06-24 – 2014-06-28
• [Presentation] Epigenetic mechanisms may underlie the etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (2014)
  • Author(s): Imamura A
  • Organizer: 2nd Asian Congress on ADHD
  • Place of Presentation: 東京医科大学病院(東京都新宿区)
  • Invited
• [Presentation] 被虐待児と発達障害児のエピジェネティック変化の関与の可能性 (2012)
  • Author(s): 今村明
  • Organizer: 第108回日本精神神経学会学術総会
  • Place of Presentation: 札幌
• [Presentation] Copy number analysis in monozygotic twins discordant for autistic disorder (2011)
  • Author(s): Akira Imamura, Shinji Ono, Aoi Hashida, Naohiro Kurotaki, Hiroki Ozawa, Koh-ichiro Yoshiura, Yuji Okazaki
  • Organizer: 10th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry
  • Place of Presentation: Prague, Czech Republic
• [Presentation] 一卵性双生児精神疾患不一致例におけるコピー数解析 (2011)
  • Author(s): 今村明
  • Organizer: 日本生物学的精神医学会(招待講演)
  • Place of Presentation: 東京、日本
• [Book] 大人の発達症のための医療的支援のヒント (2014)
  • Author(s): 今村明
  • Total Pages: 221
  • Publisher: 星和書店