Examining the associations between microglia genetic capacity, early life exposures and white matter development at the level of the individual

There are inter -individual differences in susceptibility to the influence of early life experiences for which the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are poorly understood. Microglia play a role in environmental surveillance and may influence individual susceptibility to environmental factors. As an index of neurodevelopment, we estimated individual slopes of mean white matter fractional anisotropy (WM-FA) across three time -points (age 4.5, 6.0, and 7.5 years) for 351 participants. Individual variation in microglia reactivity was derived from an expression -based polygenic score (ePGS) comprised of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) functionally related to the expression of microglia-enriched genes. A higher ePGS denotes an increased genetic capacity for the expression of microglia-related genes, and thus may confer a greater capacity to respond to the early environment and to influence brain development. We hypothesized that this ePGS would associate with the WM-FA index of neurodevelopment and moderate the influence of early environmental factors. Our findings show sex dependency, where a significant association between WM-FA and microglia ePGS was only obtained for females. We then examined associations with perinatal factors known to decrease (optimal birth outcomes and familial conditions) or increase (systemic inflammation) the risk for later mental health problems. In females, individuals with high microglia ePGS showed a negative association between systemic inflammation and WM-FA and a positive association between more advantageous environmental conditions and WM-FA. The microglia ePGS in females thus accounted for variations in the influence of the quality of the early environment on WM-FA. Finally, WM-FA slopes mediated the association of microglia ePGS with interpersonal problems and social hostility in females. Our findings suggest the genetic capacity for microglia function as a potential factor underlying differential susceptibility to early life exposures through influences on neurodevelopment.