scholarly journals Associations of prenatal methylmercury exposure and maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid status with neurodevelopmental outcomes at 7 years of age: results from the Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J J Strain ◽  
Tanzy M Love ◽  
Alison J Yeates ◽  
Daniel Weller ◽  
Maria S Mulhern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Fetal Brain ◽  
Multiple Comparisons ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Mehg Exposure ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Development Study ◽  
Pufa Ratio ◽  
P Values ◽  
Child Neurodevelopment

ABSTRACT Background Fish is a primary source of protein and n-3 PUFA but also contains methylmercury (MeHg), a naturally occurring neurotoxicant to which, at sufficient exposure levels, the developing fetal brain is particularly sensitive. Objectives To examine the association between prenatal MeHg and maternal status of n-3 and n-6 PUFA with neurodevelopment, and to determine whether PUFA might modify prenatal MeHg associations with neurodevelopment. Methods We examined the Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2 (NC2) at age 7 y. We used a sophisticated and extensive neurodevelopmental test battery that addressed 17 specific outcomes in multiple neurodevelopmental domains: cognition, executive and psychomotor function, language development, behavior, scholastic achievement, and social communication. Analyses were undertaken on 1237 mother-child pairs with complete covariate data (after exclusions) and a measure of at least 1 outcome. We examined the main and interactive associations of prenatal MeHg exposure (measured as maternal hair mercury) and prenatal PUFA status (measured in maternal serum at 28 weeks’ gestation) on child neurodevelopmental outcomes using linear regression models. We applied the Bonferroni correction to account for multiple comparisons and considered P values <0.0029 to be statistically significant. Results Prenatal MeHg exposure and maternal DHA and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) (AA) status were not significantly associated with any neurodevelopmental outcomes. Findings for 4 outcomes encompassing executive function, cognition, and linguistic skills suggested better performance with an increasing maternal n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio (P values ranging from 0.004 to 0.05), but none of these associations were significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. No significant interaction between MeHg exposure and PUFA status was present. Conclusions Our findings do not support an association between prenatal MeHg exposure or maternal DHA and AA status with neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 7 y. The roles of n-6 and n-3 PUFA in child neurodevelopment need further research.

scholarly journals Associations between maternal thyroid function in pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes at 20 months in the Seychelles Child Development Study, Nutrition Cohort 2 (SCDS NC2)

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Monaghan ◽  
Maria S. Mulhern ◽  
Emeir M. Mc Sorley ◽  
J.J. Strain ◽  
Theresa Winter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Thyroid Hormones ◽  
Thyroid Function ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Development Study ◽  
Free Thyroid Hormones ◽  
Child Neurodevelopment ◽  
Maternal Thyroid

Abstract Maternal thyroid hormones facilitate optimal foetal neurodevelopment; however, the exact role of the thyroid hormones on specific cognitive outcomes is unknown. The present study aimed to investigate associations between maternal thyroid function and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS) Nutrition 2 cohort (n 1328). Maternal free thyroid hormones (fT3, fT4 and fTSH) were assessed at 28 weeks’ gestation with a range of child cognitive outcomes analysed at 20 months. Dietary iodine intake was analysed for a subset of women through a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Linear regression analysis was used to test associations between serum concentrations of maternal thyroid hormones and child neurodevelopment outcomes. Thyroid hormones were analysed as continuous data and categorised as quintiles. 95% of mothers had optimal thyroid function based on fTSH concentrations. Overall, the present study shows that maternal thyroid function is not associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in this high fish-eating population. However, a positive association, using quintiles for fT3, was reported for the Mental Developmental Index, between Q3 v. Q4 (β 0⋅073; P 0⋅043) and for Q3 v. Q5 (β value 0⋅086; P 0⋅018). To conclude, mothers in our cohort, who largely have optimal thyroid function and iodine intakes, appear able to regulate thyroid function throughout pregnancy to meet neurodevelopmental needs. However, it is possible that minor imbalances of fT3, as indicated from our secondary analysis, may impact offspring neurodevelopment. Further investigation of the relationship between maternal thyroid function and infant neurodevelopment is warranted, particularly in populations with different dietary patterns and thereby iodine intakes.

scholarly journals Associations of maternal immune response with MeHg exposure at 28 weeks’ gestation in the Seychelles Child Development Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. e13046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emeir M. McSorley ◽  
Alison J. Yeates ◽  
Maria S. Mulhern ◽  
Edwin van Wijngaarden ◽  
Katherine Grzesik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Mehg Exposure ◽  
Development Study ◽  
Maternal Immune Response

scholarly journals Finding vulnerable subpopulations in the Seychelles Child Development Study: effect modification with latent groups

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 809-822
Author(s):  
Tanzy MT Love ◽  
Sally W Thurston ◽  
Philip W Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Fish Consumption ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Group Membership ◽  
Effect Modification ◽  
Low Doses ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Development Study ◽  
Mixture Regression ◽  
Methylmercury Exposure

The Seychelles Child Development Study is a research project with the objective of examining associations between prenatal exposure to low doses of methylmercury from maternal fish consumption and children’s developmental outcomes. Whether methylmercury has neurotoxic effects at low doses remains unclear and recommendations for pregnant women and children to reduce fish intake may prevent a substantial number of people from receiving sufficient nutrients that are abundant in fish. The primary findings of the Seychelles Child Development Study are inconsistent with adverse associations between methylmercury from fish consumption and neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, whether there are subpopulations of children who are particularly sensitive to this diet is an open question. Secondary analysis from this study found significant interactions between prenatal methylmercury levels and both caregiver IQ and income on 19-month IQ. These results are sensitive to the categories chosen for these covariates and are difficult to interpret collectively. In this paper, we estimate effect modification of the association between prenatal methylmercury exposure and 19-month IQ using a general formulation of mixture regression. Our mixture regression model creates a latent categorical group membership variable which interacts with methylmercury in predicting the outcome. We also fit the same outcome model when in addition the latent variable is assumed to be a parametric function of three distinct socioeconomic measures. Bayesian methods allow group membership and the regression coefficients to be estimated simultaneously and our approach yields a principled choice of the number of distinct subpopulations. The results show three groups with different response patterns between prenatal methylmercury exposure and 19-month IQ in this population.

scholarly journals Programming Effects of Prenatal Stress on Neurodevelopment—the Pitfall of Introducing a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (13) ◽  
pp. 2301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bleker ◽  
de Rooij ◽  
Roseboom
Keyword(s):  
Prenatal Stress ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Fetal Brain ◽  
Daily Hassles ◽  
Human Studies ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Child Neurodevelopment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Harmful Effects

There is increasing interest for the potential harmful effects of prenatal stress on the developing fetal brain, both in scientific literature and in public press. Results from animal studies suggest that gestational stress leads to an altered offspring neurodevelopment with adverse behavioral and cognitive consequences. Furthermore, there are indications in human studies that severe prenatal stress has negative consequences for the child’s neurodevelopment. However, stress is an umbrella term and studies of maternal stress have focused on a wide range of stress inducing situations, ranging from daily hassles to traumatic stress after bereavement or a natural disaster. Mild to moderate stress, experienced by many women during their pregnancy, has not consistently been shown to exert substantial negative effects on the child’s neurodevelopment. Additionally, the vast majority of human studies are observational cohort studies that are hampered by their fundamental inability to show a causal relationship. Furthermore, our limited knowledge on the possible underlying mechanisms and the effects of interventions for prenatal stress on child neurodevelopmental outcomes emphasize our incomplete understanding of the actual effects of prenatal stress on child neurodevelopment. Until we have a better understanding, it seems counterproductive to alarm all pregnant women for possible harmful effects of all sorts of prenatal stress, if only to avoid the induction of stress itself.

scholarly journals Web-Based Intervention to Teach Developmentally Supportive Care to Parents of Preterm Infants: Feasibility and Acceptability Study (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuy Mai Luu ◽  
Li Feng Xie ◽  
Perrine Peckre ◽  
Sylvana Cote ◽  
Thierry Karsenti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Supportive Care ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Oral Feeding ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Child Neurodevelopment ◽  
Developmentally Supportive Care

BACKGROUND Preterm birth affects 8% to 11% of the population and conveys a significant risk of developmental delays. Intervention programs that support child development have been shown to have a positive impact on early motor and cognitive development and on parental well-being. However, these programs are often difficult to implement in a real-life setting due to lack of resources. Hence, our multidisciplinary team developed Mieux Agir au Quotidien (MAQ) to teach developmentally supportive care to parents of preterm infants with the goal of improving child development and parental outcomes. Our intervention included 3 in-person workshops that occurred prior to hospital discharge and a Web-based platform with written and videotaped materials that addressed 5 main themes: (1) infant behavioral cues, (2) flexion positioning; (3) oral feeding support, (4) parent-infant interactions, and (5) anticipation of developmental milestones. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention by parents of preterm infants and assess clinical benefits on child neurodevelopment and parental outcomes during the first year of life. METHODS A total of 107 infants born at <30 weeks and admitted to Sainte-Justine Hospital neonatal intensive care unit and their parents were enrolled in a nonrandomized controlled before-and-after interventional study (intervention n=55, comparison n=52). Acceptability of the program was assessed with a user satisfaction questionnaire. When the infants were at 4 months’ corrected age, all parents completed questionnaires on infant temperament, parenting stress, sense of competence, and parenting satisfaction. At 12 months’ corrected age, neurodevelopmental testing was performed on infants using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. Comparisons between the 2 groups were done using independent t tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and Fisher exact tests. RESULTS The majority of parents (43/45) were satisfied with the intervention program and all would recommend MAQ to others. MAQ met their need for evidence-based information that proved useful to support their child development. No difference in parental or child neurodevelopmental outcomes was detected in this pilot study for most outcomes except for higher median scores for parental coercive behaviors in the intervention group, although proportions scoring in the coercive range did not differ. CONCLUSIONS Acceptability of the program was high among parents thus supporting the relevance of such intervention. A larger study using a randomized controlled trial design is needed to better document impact on parent and children and investigate how Web-based technologies can efficiently complement individualized intervention to alleviate the burden on health care resources.

scholarly journals Maternal immune markers during pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 20 months in the Seychelles Child Development Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 335 ◽  
pp. 577023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Irwin ◽  
Emeir M. McSorley ◽  
Alison J. Yeates ◽  
Maria S. Mulhern ◽  
J.J. Strain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Immune Markers ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Development Study

scholarly journals Methyl mercury exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the Seychelles Child Development Study Main cohort at age 22 and 24years

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin van Wijngaarden ◽  
Sally W. Thurston ◽  
Gary J. Myers ◽  
Donald Harrington ◽  
Deborah A. Cory-Slechta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Mercury Exposure ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Development Study

scholarly journals Neuroplacentology in congenital heart disease: placental connections to neurodevelopmental outcomes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. Leon ◽  
Imran N. Mir ◽  
Christina L. Herrera ◽  
Kavita Sharma ◽  
Catherine Y. Spong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Fetal Brain ◽  
In Utero ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Brain Growth ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Fetal Brain Development ◽  
And Function

Abstract Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are living longer due to effective medical and surgical management. However, the majority have neurodevelopmental delays or disorders. The role of the placenta in fetal brain development is unclear and is the focus of an emerging field known as neuroplacentology. In this review, we summarize neurodevelopmental outcomes in CHD and their brain imaging correlates both in utero and postnatally. We review differences in the structure and function of the placenta in pregnancies complicated by fetal CHD and introduce the concept of a placental inefficiency phenotype that occurs in severe forms of fetal CHD, characterized by a myriad of pathologies. We propose that in CHD placental dysfunction contributes to decreased fetal cerebral oxygen delivery resulting in poor brain growth, brain abnormalities, and impaired neurodevelopment. We conclude the review with key areas for future research in neuroplacentology in the fetal CHD population, including (1) differences in structure and function of the CHD placenta, (2) modifiable and nonmodifiable factors that impact the hemodynamic balance between placental and cerebral circulations, (3) interventions to improve placental function and protect brain development in utero, and (4) the role of genetic and epigenetic influences on the placenta–heart–brain connection. Impact Neuroplacentology seeks to understand placental connections to fetal brain development. In fetuses with CHD, brain growth abnormalities begin in utero. Placental microstructure as well as perfusion and function are abnormal in fetal CHD.

scholarly journals Residue Levels of Organochlorine Pesticides in Breast Milk and Its Associations with Cord Blood Thyroid Hormones and the Offspring’s Neurodevelopment

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Chih Kao ◽  
Danielle E. Que ◽  
Sayre J. Bongo ◽  
Lemmuel L. Tayo ◽  
Yi-Hsien Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Milk ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Growth Hormones ◽  
Exposure Group ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Postnatal Exposure ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Infant Neurodevelopment

Previous studies have demonstrated that organochlorine pesticide (OCP) exposure has a negative impact on the neurological function of infants. Only a few reports have investigated the thyroid and growth hormones and their relationship to neurodevelopment after human exposure to OCPs, especially in the case of infants. Our goal was to determine whether breastmilk OCP residues were associated with negative impacts and/or alterations in the neurodevelopment of infants among specific southern Taiwanese mother–breastfed infant pairs. Our subjects (n = 55 pairs) were recruited from southern Taiwan between 2007 and 2010. The thyroid and growth hormone levels in the cord blood samples collected after childbirth were determined. The breastmilk was gathered within one month after childbirth for the determination of OCP levels using a high-resolution gas chromatograph with mass spectrometry, and the neurodevelopment of 10–12-month-old infants was examined using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development®, Third Edition (Bayley-III). It was observed that 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl-dichloroethylene (4,4′-DDE) (mean = 10.3 ng/g lipid) was the most predominant OCP compound in the breastmilk samples. At higher concentrations (>75th percentile), specific OCPs were associated with significantly lower levels of thyroid and growth hormones than at lower concentrations (<75th percentile). Significantly higher odds ratios (ORs) were observed for binary cognitive (OR = 8.09, p = 0.025 for 4,4′-DDT), language (OR = 11.9, p = 0.013 for 4,4′-DDT) and social–emotional (OR = 6.06, p = 0.01 for trans-CHL) composite scores for specific OCPs belonging to the lower exposure group as compared to the higher OCP exposure group. The five domain Bayley-III infant neurodevelopment outcomes were negatively associated with specific OCPs in the breast milk samples based on the redundancy analysis (RDA) test. Bayley-III scales, which include cognitive, language, motor, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior scales, could be predicted by 4,4′-DDT, endrin, endosulfan I, heptachlor, or heptachlor epoxide using multivariate linear regression models with adjustment for maternal age, pre-pregnant BMI, parity, and infant gender. In conclusion, although our study showed that postnatal exposure to breast milk OCPs may be associated with infant neurodevelopmental outcomes and that prenatal exposure, if extrapolated from breastmilk levels, is associated with changes in thyroid and growth hormones that may have effects on neurodevelopment, these associations are only suggestive; thus, further studies are recommended for confirmation.

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