Maternal-infant interaction quality is associated with child NR3C1 CpG site methylation at 7 years of age.

Narrow individual variation of maternal interaction with her infant is associated with childhood methylation of two CpG sites on NR3C1 that may be particularly sensitive to environmental influences. Infancy may be a sensitive period for even small influences from the social-emotional environment on the epigenetic determinants of HPA-axis function.