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Maternal prenatal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and visual recognition memory among infants at 27 weeks
Khristina N Ipapo1, Pam Factor-Litvak2, Robin M Whyatt1
1Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Insights
Maternal prenatal exposure to certain phthalates may impact infant girls' visual recognition memory. This study found lower novelty preference scores in infant girls exposed to higher levels of specific phthalates during pregnancy.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Developmental Psychology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Previous studies link maternal phthalate exposure to cognitive deficits in older children.
- Research on phthalate effects during infancy, particularly using the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence (FTII), is limited.
- The FTII assesses visual recognition memory through novelty preference, offering a unique developmental insight.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between maternal prenatal phthalate metabolite levels and infant cognitive function at 27 weeks using the FTII.
- To determine if these associations differ based on infant sex.
Main Methods:
- Quantified phthalate metabolites (MnBP, MBzP, MiBP, MEP, MCPP, ΣDEHP) in urine from 168 pregnant minority women.
- Administered the FTII to infants at 27 weeks to measure visual recognition memory (novelty preference score).
Main Results:
- No overall association between prenatal phthalate concentrations and infant novelty preference.
- Significant sex-specific effects observed: higher MBzP, ΣDEHP, MiBP, and MEP levels were associated with lower novelty preference scores in infant girls.
- Associations were not significant or were inconsistent among infant boys.
Conclusions:
- Maternal prenatal exposure to certain phthalates negatively impacts visual recognition memory in 27-week-old infant girls.
- Infant sex is a crucial factor in the relationship between prenatal phthalate exposure and early cognitive development.
Background:
Prior research has demonstrated inverse associations between maternal prenatal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and cognitive development assessed in preschool and school-aged children. While there are a limited number of studies that evaluated these associations during infancy, no study has evaluated whether these associations exist when using the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence (FTII), which captures novelty preference as a function of visual recognition memory.
Objective:
We evaluated associations between phthalate metabolite concentrations in maternal prenatal urine and cognition in infancy using the FTII at 27 weeks and determine if these associations are sex-specific.
Methods:
Mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-3-carboxypropyl phthalate (MCPP) and four di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites (DEHP) were quantified in urine samples collected from 168 minority women living in urban neighborhoods during their third trimester of pregnancy. The FTII was administered to infants at 27 weeks to measure visual recognition memory and was recorded as the novelty preference score.
Results:
There were no associations between prenatal phthalate metabolite concentrations and novelty preference score in the full sample. However, there was evidence of effect modification by infant sex. Sex-stratified models demonstrated that compared to girls in the lowest tertile of MBzP concentrations, girls in tertiles 2 and 3 had, on average, 3.98 and 4.65 points lower novelty preference scores (p-value=0.04 and 0.03, respectively). The relationship was similar for ΣDEHP, MiBP, and MEP. Effects among boys were inconsistent and generally not significant.
Conclusion:
Maternal prenatal exposure to some phthalates was negatively associated with visual recognition memory as measured by the FTII among girls at age 27 weeks.
