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Lack of a relation between human neonatal thyroxine and pediatric neurobehavioral disorders
Offie Porat Soldin1, Shenghan Lai, Steven H Lamm
1Consultants in Epidemiology and Occupational Health, Inc, Washington, DC 20007, USA. offie@ceoh.com
Insights
This study found no link between neonatal thyroxine (T4) levels and later neurobehavioral disorders like ADHD or autism. Neonatal thyroid function appears unrelated to these childhood developmental conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Central nervous system development relies on iodine and thyroid hormones.
- Fetal thyroidal endocrine disruption in utero is a hypothesized cause of childhood neurobehavioral disabilities, including ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between neonatal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and the subsequent diagnosis of neurobehavioral disabilities.
- To determine if intrauterine thyroid dysfunction, indicated by neonatal thyroxine (T4) levels, impacts the risk of developing conditions like ADHD, autism, or learning disabilities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized neonatal thyroxine (T4) levels from the neonatal hypothyroidism screening program as an indicator of intrauterine thyroid function.
- Analyzed data from children diagnosed with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral, cognitive, developmental, emotional, learning, or speech/language disorders.
- Employed conditional logistic regression to assess the relationship between neonatal T4 levels and the odds of each neurobehavioral diagnosis.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences were found in neonatal T4 levels between children diagnosed with neurobehavioral conditions and control groups.
- Odds ratios for all investigated neurobehavioral conditions ranged from 0.92 to 1.13, with p-values between 0.19 and 0.84.
- All recorded neonatal T4 values fell within the normal range, indicating no significant intrauterine thyroid dysfunction.
Conclusions:
- The study found no evidence to support a link between neonatal thyroid status and the development of diagnosed neurobehavioral disorders in childhood.
- Neonatal thyroxine levels, as a reflection of intrauterine thyroid status, do not appear to influence the risk for conditions such as ADHD, autism, or learning disabilities.
Abstract:
The growth and differentiation of the central nervous system are closely related to the presence of iodine and thyroid hormones. It has been hypothesized that neurobehavioral disabilities of childhood, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disorders, and autism can be attributed to fetal thyroidal endocrine disruption in utero. To determine whether there is an association between neonatal thyroid status and a subsequent diagnosis of a neurobehavioral disability, neonatal thyroxine (T(4)) levels have been used as the indicator of the presence of intrauterine thyroidal dysfunction. Neonatal T(4) levels were obtained from the neonatal hypothyroidism screening program. All cases were diagnosed at medical school diagnostic clinics, the diagnostic categories being ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral disorder, cognitive disorder, developmental delay, emotional disorder, learning disability, and speech/language disorder. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed for each clinical condition. Odds ratios for the conditions ranged from 0.92 to 1.13 with p values ranging between 0.19 and 0.84. No significant differences were detected between neonatal T(4) values of the cases and the controls for any of the neurobehavioral conditions. All neonatal T(4) values were within normal ranges. The data provide no evidence to suggest that intrauterine thyroid status as reflected by the neonatal T(4) values had an impact on the neurologic disorders diagnosed in childhood.