Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Oct 16;109 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):17160-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1202203109. Epub 2012 Oct 8.
This paper describes evidence that led to the concept of biological embedding and research approaches designed to elucidates its mechanisms. Biological embedding occurs when experience gets under the skin and alters human biological and developmental processes; when systematic differences in experience in different social environments in society lead to systematically different biological and developmental states; when these differences are stable and long term; and, finally, when they have the capacity to influence health, well-being, learning, or behavior over the life course. Biological embedding emerged from insights in population health on the unique characteristics of socioeconomic gradients: Ubiquity in poor and postscarcity societies alike; gradient seen regardless of whether socioeconomic status is measured by income, education, or occupation; cutting widely across health, well-being, learning, and behavior outcomes; replicating itself on new conditions entering society; and, often, showing that flatter gradients mean better overall societal outcomes. Most important, the gradient begins the life course as a gradient in developmental health, suggesting that the emergence of a multifaceted resilience/vulnerability early in life is the best place to look for evidence of biological embedding. To understand its character, the metaphor of the "archeology of biological embedding" has been used, wherein the surficial stratum of the "dig" is experience and behavior, the shallow stratum is organ system and cellular function, and the deep stratum is gene function. We are now ready to address the fundamental question of biological embedding: How do early childhood environments work together with genetic variation and epigenetic regulation to generate gradients in health and human development across the life course?
本文描述了导致生物嵌入概念产生的证据，以及为阐明其机制而设计的研究方法。生物嵌入是指经验深入皮肤并改变人类生物和发育过程；当社会中不同社会环境中的经验存在系统差异时，会导致生物和发育状态存在系统差异；当这些差异稳定且长期存在时；最后，当它们有能力在整个生命周期中影响健康、幸福、学习或行为时。生物嵌入是从人口健康方面对社会经济梯度的独特特征的深入了解中产生的：在贫困和后匮乏社会中都普遍存在；无论社会经济地位是通过收入、教育还是职业来衡量，都可以看到这种梯度；广泛涉及健康、幸福、学习和行为结果；在新的社会条件下复制自身；而且，往往表明更平坦的梯度意味着更好的整体社会结果。最重要的是，该梯度在生命过程中作为发育健康的梯度开始，这表明在生命早期出现多方面的弹性/脆弱性是寻找生物嵌入证据的最佳地点。为了了解其特征，使用了“生物嵌入考古学”的隐喻，其中“挖掘”的表面层是经验和行为，浅层是器官系统和细胞功能，深层是基因功能。现在，我们准备解决生物嵌入的基本问题：儿童早期环境如何与遗传变异和表观遗传调控一起，在整个生命周期中产生健康和人类发育的梯度？
