Cognitive trajectories from infancy to early adulthood following birth before 26 weeks of gestation: a prospective, population-based cohort study

ObjectiveTo determine the trajectory of cognitive test scores from infancy to adulthood in individuals born extremely preterm compared with term-born individuals.DesignA prospective, population-based cohort study.Setting276 maternity units in the UK and Ireland.Patients315 surviving infants born less than 26 completed weeks of gestation recruited at birth in 1995 and 160 term-born classroom controls recruited at age 6.Main outcome measuresBayley Scales of Infant Development-Second Edition (age 2.5); Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (ages 6/11); Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (age 19).ResultsThe mean cognitive scores of extremely preterm individuals over the period were on average 25.2 points below their term-born peers (95% CI −27.8 to −22.6) and remained significantly lower at every assessment. Cognitive trajectories in term-born boys and girls did not differ significantly, but the scores of extremely preterm boys were on average 8.8 points below those of extremely preterm girls (95% CI −13.6 to −4.0). Higher maternal education elevated scores in both groups by 3.2 points (95% CI 0.8 to 5.7). Within the extremely preterm group, moderate/severe neonatal brain injury (mean difference: −10.9, 95% CI −15.5 to −6.3) and gestational age less than 25 weeks (mean difference: −4.4, 95% CI −8.4 to −0.4) also had an adverse impact on cognitive function.ConclusionsThere is no evidence that impaired cognitive function in extremely preterm individuals materially recovers or deteriorates from infancy through to 19 years. Cognitive test scores in infancy and early childhood reflect early adult outcomes.

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Epigenetic gestational age and trajectories of weight and height during childhood: a prospective cohort study

10.1101/599738 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Harold D. Bright ◽

Laura D. Howe ◽

Jasmine N. Khouja ◽

Andrew J. Simpkin ◽

Matthew Suderman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Childhood Weight ◽

Clinical Records

AbstractBackgroundDifferences between an individual’s estimated epigenetic gestational age (EGA) and their actual gestational age (GA) are defined as gestational age acceleration (GAA). GAA is associated with increased birthweight and birth length. Whether these associations persist through childhood is yet to be investigated.MethodsWe examined the association between GAA and trajectories of height and weight from birth to 10 years (n=785) in a British birth cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). EGA of participants was estimated using DNA methylation data from cord blood using a recently-developed prediction model. GA of participants was gathered in ALSPAC from clinical records and was measured from last menstrual period (LMP) for most participants. GAA of participants, measured in weeks, was calculated as the residuals from a regression model of EGA on actual GA. Height and weight were obtained from several sources including birth records, research clinics, routine child health clinics, links to health visitor records and parent-reported measures from questionnaires. Analyses were performed using linear spline multilevel models and adjusted for maternal age, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal smoking during pregnancy and maternal education.ResultsIn adjusted analyses, offspring with a one-week greater GAA were born on average 0.14 kg heavier (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.09, 0.19) and 0.55 cm taller (95% CI 0.33, 0.78) at birth. These differences in weight persisted up to approximately age 9 months but thereafter began to attenuate and reduce in magnitude. From age 5 years onwards, the association between GAA and weight reversed such that GAA was associated with lower weight and this association strengthened with age (mean difference at age 10 years −0.60 kg (95% CI, −1.19, −0.01)). Differences in height persisted only up to age 9 months (mean difference at 9 months 0.15 cm, (95% CI −0.09, 0.39)). From age 9 months to age 10 years, offspring with a one-week greater GAA were of comparable height to those with no GAA (mean difference at age 10 years −0.07 cm, (95% CI −0.64, 0.50)).ConclusionsGestational age acceleration is associated with increased birth weight and length and these differences persist to age 9 months. From 5 years onwards, the association of GAA and weight reverses such that by age 10 years greater GAA is associated with lower childhood weight. Further work is required to examine whether the weight effects of GAA strengthen further through adolescence and into early adulthood.

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Maternal education before childbirth and cardiovascular diseases in offspring during early adulthood: a Danish population-based cohort study

Canadian Journal of Cardiology ◽

10.1016/j.cjca.2021.07.005 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chen Huang ◽

Yongfu Yu ◽

Henrik Toft Sørensen ◽

Buyun Liu ◽

Anne Vested ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Population Based ◽

Danish Population

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Epigenetic gestational age and trajectories of weight and height during childhood: a prospective cohort study

Clinical Epigenetics ◽

10.1186/s13148-019-0761-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Harold D. Bright ◽

Laura D. Howe ◽

Jasmine N. Khouja ◽

Andrew J. Simpkin ◽

Matthew Suderman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Childhood Weight ◽

Parents And Children

Abstract Background Differences between an individual’s estimated epigenetic gestational age (EGA) and their actual gestational age (GA) are defined as gestational age acceleration (GAA). GAA is associated with increased birthweight and birth length. Whether these associations persist through childhood is yet to be investigated. Methods We examined the association between GAA and trajectories of height and weight from birth to 10 years (n = 785) in a British birth cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). EGA of participants was estimated using DNA methylation data from cord blood using a recently developed prediction model. GAA of participants, measured in weeks, was calculated as the residuals from a regression model of EGA on actual GA. Analyses were performed using linear spline multilevel models and adjusted for maternal age, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and maternal education. Results In adjusted analyses, offspring with a one-week greater GAA were born on average 0.14 kg heavier (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09, 0.19) and 0.55 cm taller (95% CI 0.33, 0.78) at birth. These differences in weight persisted up to approximately age 9 months but thereafter began to attenuate. From age 5 years onwards, the association between GAA and weight reversed such that GAA was associated with lower weight and this association strengthened with age (mean difference at age 10 years − 0.60 kg, 95% CI − 1.19, − 0.01). Differences in height persisted only up to age 9 months (mean difference at 9 months 0.15 cm, 95% CI − 0.09, 0.39). From age 9 months to age 10 years, offspring with a one-week greater GAA were of comparable height with those with no GAA (mean difference at age 10 years − 0.07 cm, 95% CI − 0.64, 0.50). Conclusions Gestational age acceleration is associated with increased birth weight and length and these differences persist to age 9 months. From age 5 years onwards, the association of GAA and weight reverses such that by age 10 years, greater GAA is associated with lower childhood weight. Further work is required to examine whether the weight effects of GAA strengthen through adolescence and into early adulthood.

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Abstract 95: Nutrition and Cognitive Decline Over 21-years: Results from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC)

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.95 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer L Dearborn ◽

Aozhou Wu ◽

Lyn M Steffen ◽

David S Knopman ◽

Thomas H Mosley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Test Scores ◽

Population Based ◽

Word Recall ◽

Cognitive Test ◽

Z Score ◽

Balanced Diet ◽

Diet Pattern

Background: A healthy diet may be protective against cognitive decline by mechanisms that involve improved vascular risk factors such as hypertension and dysglycemia, and reduced systemic inflammation. In this population-based study, we hypothesized that midlife diet pattern would be associated with cognitive decline over 21-years. Methods: This study included 13,603 participants in the ARIC population-based cohort recruited from four U.S. sites who were aged 45 to 64 at baseline (1987-89) when diet was measured. Participants recorded diet using a 66-item food frequency questionnaire. Two dietary patterns, called “Meat and Fried” and the “Balanced Diet”, were named after the most representative foods that emerged from constructs derived from a principal component analysis of 30 food groups. A higher diet pattern score represented greater adherence. Cognitive testing, including the digit symbol substitution, the word fluency and delayed word recall tests, were combined to a z-score at each visit (visits 2, 1990-92; 4, 1996-98 and 5, 2011-2013). Test scores for participants not attending subsequent visits were imputed using Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations to account for cohort attrition. Cognitive performance at visit 2 was compared by tertile (T) of each diet pattern. Using mixed effects models with a random slope and intercept , we determined the 21-year change in cognitive function by diet pattern tertile, adjusting for demographics and medical history. Results: At visit 2, adherence to the Meat and Fried pattern was associated with lower cognitive test scores (z-score T3: -0.172, SD 0.985; T1: 0.149, SD 0.981, p-trend <0.001). Adherence to the Balanced Diet was not associated with differences in cognitive performance (z-score T3: 0.013, SD 0.988; T1 -0.036, SD 1.001, p-trend 0.10). 21-year change in cognitive function did not differ by adherence to diet pattern with adjustments (difference of the change in z-score for Meat and Fried, T3 vs. T1: 0.02, [CI -0.05 to 0.08]; Balanced Diet T3 vs. T1: -0.03, [CI -0.09 to 0.02]). Conclusion: Although participants with a diet pattern high in meat and fried foods had lower cognition at time of first assessment, diet patterns at midlife did not carry independent associations with cognitive decline.

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Hearing impairment and missing cognitive test scores in a population‐based study of older adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities neurocognitive study

Alzheimer s & Dementia ◽

10.1002/alz.12339 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer A. Deal ◽

Alden L. Gross ◽

A. Richey Sharrett ◽

Alison G. Abraham ◽

Josef Coresh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hearing Impairment ◽

Test Scores ◽

Population Based ◽

Cognitive Test ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities ◽

Atherosclerosis Risk

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The protective role of trait anxiety: a longitudinal cohort study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291705006847 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 345-351 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

W. E. LEE ◽

M. E. J. WADSWORTH ◽

M. HOTOPF

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Trait Anxiety ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Adult Life ◽

Later Life ◽

Population Based ◽

Protective Role ◽

Medical Intervention ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Fatal Accidents

Background. Most research has indicated that neuroticism (or trait anxiety) is associated with only negative outcomes. Such a common, heritable and variable trait is expected to have beneficial as well as detrimental effects. We tested the hypothesis that trait anxiety in childhood reduces the risk of dying from accidental causes in early adult life.Method. A longitudinal, population-based, birth cohort study of 4070 men and women born in the UK in 1946. Trait anxiety as judged by teachers when the participants were 13 and 15 years old, and the neuroticism scale of a Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI) when the participants were 16 years old. Outcomes were deaths, deaths from accidents, non-fatal accidents, and non-fatal accidents requiring medical intervention.Results. Adolescents with low trait anxiety had higher rates of accident mortality to age 25 [low anxiety at 13, hazard ratio (HR) 5·9, low anxiety at 15, HR 1·8]. Low trait anxiety in adolescence was associated with decreased non-accidental mortality after age 25 (low anxiety at 13, HR 0; low anxiety at 15, HR 0·7; low neuroticism at 16, HR 0·7).Conclusions. High trait anxiety measured in adolescence is associated with reduced accidents and accidental death in early adulthood but higher rates of non-accidental mortality in later life.

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