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Mercury, APOE, and children's neurodevelopment.

Sharon Ng1, Ching-Chun Lin, Yaw-Huei Hwang

  • 1Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan.

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Prenatal mercury exposure negatively impacts child neurodevelopment, especially in children with the ApoE ε4 gene variant. This genetic susceptibility modifies mercury

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Prenatal mercury (Hg) exposure's impact on neurodevelopment is complex, with nutritional benefits from fish potentially masking adverse effects.
  • Genetic susceptibility, particularly involving genes like Apolipoprotein E (APOE), may explain varying outcomes in child development following mercury exposure.
  • Limited research exists on the interplay between genetic factors and prenatal mercury exposure concerning neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between prenatal mercury exposure and neurodevelopment in children at two years of age.
  • To assess the role of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms, specifically the ε4 allele, as a potential genetic susceptibility factor.
  • To determine if APOE genotype modifies the neurodevelopmental effects of cord blood mercury levels.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective cohort study involving 168 subjects recruited at birth and followed until two years of age.
  • Measurement of mercury concentrations in cord blood and genotyping for Apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphisms.
  • Neurodevelopmental assessment using the Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Toddlers (CDIIT), analyzed with linear regression models, including interaction effects.

Main Results:

  • Adverse neurodevelopmental effects were consistently observed in ε4 allele carriers exposed to prenatal mercury across all Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Toddlers (CDIIT) subtests.
  • After controlling for confounders, significant negative associations were found for cognition (β=-8.47), social development (β=-11.02), and overall CDIIT scores (β=-10.45) in ε4 carriers.
  • A significant interaction effect between APOE gene polymorphisms and mercury levels was evident in overall CDIIT scores and subtests for cognition, language, and fine motor skills.

Conclusions:

  • The Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype significantly modifies the adverse effects of prenatal mercury exposure on neurodevelopment in two-year-old children.
  • The ε4 allele of APOE confers increased susceptibility to the neurotoxic effects of mercury, impacting cognitive, social, and motor development.
  • These findings highlight the importance of considering genetic factors in understanding individual responses to environmental exposures like mercury.