Figure 1. Diagram Overviewing Dataset Search and Selection.

We identified transcriptional profiling datasets examining ELS models in laboratory rodents within the Gemma database using pre-specified keywords. Our initial search encompassed tissue from three brain regions implicated in the effects of ELS: the hippocampus, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortex (PFC). The focus of our meta-analysis was later narrowed to the prefrontal cortex based on the availability of datasets. The titles, abstracts, and metadata for the datasets were initially scanned and filtered using pre-specified inclusion/exclusion criteria, including indications that the dataset was not derived from a bulk dissection of brain tissue or that the content was unrelated to the research question (ELS). The secondary screening step included a detailed review of the metadata on Gemma and published methodology, followed by a final specification of the region of interest (ROI: PFC). Datasets were excluded in the secondary dataset filtering if they did not include an ELS manipulation during the pre-weaning period, the publication was not publicly unavailable, tissue was collected during development (instead of adulthood), or transcriptional profiling was not performed for the ROI. Abbreviations: n=number of datasets.