Transcriptomic profiling identifies differential gene expression associated with childhood abuse

Childhood abuse is a pervasive global issue that has profound and lasting impacts on the psychological, physiological, and molecular levels of affected individuals. Here, we attempted to identify differentially expressed genes in individuals with a history of childhood abuse and determine enriched biological pathways from those genes that may explain the lasting physiological effects of childhood abuse. We hypothesized that gene groups associated with neuronal plasticity, stress response, and mood regulation would be upregulated in individuals with a history of childhood abuse. We analyzed an existing dataset reporting RNA-sequencing data from victims of childhood abuse (N=24) and healthy controls (N=21). We conducted a differential expression analysis between these two cohorts. Using the results, we entered the top 250 upregulated and downregulated genes into the STRING database to identify gene networks and relationships. We found that oxidative phosphorylation and ribosomal pathways were significantly upregulated, consisting of 7 and 6 genes, respectively. With applications in the field of personalized medicine, this study can guide therapeutic interventions and optimize treatment based on individual gene profiles.