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Skeletal and Adipose Manifestations of Stress in a Contemporary Pediatric Sample

Lexi O'Donnell1,2,3, Louise Corron4, Ethan C Hill5

  • 1College of Population Health, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

American Journal of Biological Anthropology
|January 17, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Early life stress impacts skeletal development and endocrine function. Findings link porous cranial lesions and smaller vertebral canals to altered adipose tissue distribution, suggesting stress influences bone health and metabolism.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric skeletal biology
  • Endocrinology
  • Developmental origins of health and disease

Background:

  • Early life stress can disrupt endocrine and metabolic systems, affecting skeletal development.
  • Skeletal indicators like porotic hyperostosis (PH) and cribra orbitalia (CO) may reflect physiological stress.
  • Investigating stress markers alongside adipose tissue provides insight into pediatric health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effects of early life stress on adipose and skeletal tissues in children.
  • To examine the relationship between skeletal stress indicators (PH/CO), bone mineral density (BMD), vertebral neural canal (VNC) size, and adipose tissue distribution.
  • To understand how gestational and childhood stressors influence skeletal and endocrine development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a pediatric autopsy sample (N=702, ages 0.5-20.9 years).
  • Data collection included visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in abdomen, heart, and liver, CO/PH presence, fifth lumbar VNC size, and BMD.
  • Statistical examination of associations between skeletal markers, VNC size, and adipose tissue distribution.

Main Results:

  • Adipose tissue distribution and location showed differential associations with CO/PH, BMD, and VNC size.
  • Individuals with CO/PH had smaller VNC size and higher liver adiposity.
  • Increased VAT and smaller VNC size were linked to PH and low BMD, independent of BMI categories.

Conclusions:

  • Evidence supports a complex link between skeletal stress markers (CO/PH, reduced VNC size, low BMD) and endocrine function.
  • VAT distribution and VNC size appear partly shaped by gestational stressors via HPA axis alterations.
  • Gestational stress may influence the expression of porous cranial lesions during childhood stress exposure.
Abstract

Keywords:
anemiacribra orbitaliafatty liver diseaseporotic hyperostosisstressvisceral adiposity

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