Towards precision paediatrics: placental biomarkers ofNeurodevelopment (BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION, 2025-2026)
Summary
Early mental health problems and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) affect around 13% of children worldwide. Increasing evidence shows that the perinatal environment, including the prenatal period, plays a key role in shaping vulnerability to mental health and neurodevelopmental difficulties from infancy to later life. The placenta—a central organ supporting fetal brain development through nutrient transfer, immune regulation, and neuroendocrine signaling—is now recognised as a biological mediator of these early influences. Placental epigenetic patterns, particularly DNA methylation (DNAm), reflect both adaptive responses and dysfunction, acting as a molecular bridge linking genetic and prenatal environmental factors with later neurodevelopment and mental health outcomes. Although specific DNAm signatures have been associated with autism, cognitive, and socio-emotional difficulties, existing studies have been limited by small sample sizes, narrow focus on single disorders, and lack of external validation.
This project aims to identify placental DNAm signatures associated with early neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes, and to develop DNAm-based predictors to detect neonates at risk of neurodevelopmental complications. As a complementary objective, we will also explore how broad prenatal environmental factors may relate to these placental molecular hallmarks. We will leverage high-quality placental DNAm profiles and longitudinal neurodevelopmental assessments from 480 children in the BiSC birth cohort in Barcelona, integrating comprehensive developmental evaluations from 6 to 48 months.
Overall, this study will deepen our understanding of how placental biology shapes early brain and mental health trajectories, and will also clarify how prenatal environmental factors may modulate these molecular processes. In doing so, it will support the development of early epigenetic biomarkers, enabling earlier detection, monitoring, and targeted intervention within a perinatal precision medicine framework.