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Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Prenatal and postnatal bisphenol A exposure and social impairment in 4-year-old children
Youn-Hee Lim1,2, Sanghyuk Bae3, Bung-Nyun Kim4
1Institute of Environmental Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Prenatal and postnatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure is linked to social impairments in 4-year-old girls. Higher BPA levels during pregnancy and after birth correlated with deficits in social communication, highlighting potential neurodevelopmental risks.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Developmental Toxicology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure during critical developmental windows may impact brain development.
- Rodent studies indicate BPA can cause neurodevelopmental toxicity, leading to social deficits in offspring.
- Human studies are needed to confirm the association between BPA exposure and social impairments in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between prenatal and postnatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and social impairments in 4-year-old children.
- To determine if BPA exposure affects social interaction and communication in early childhood.
- To explore sex-specific effects of BPA on social development.
Main Methods:
- Recruited pregnant women and measured prenatal urine BPA levels.
- Assessed social impairments in 4-year-old children using the Korean version of the Social Communication Questionnaire (K-SCQ).
- Analyzed associations between prenatal and postnatal BPA exposure and social communication using regression models.
Main Results:
- Prenatal BPA exposure showed a non-linear association with social communication deficits in girls, significant above 3.0 μg/g creatinine.
- Postnatal BPA exposure was significantly associated with increased social communication impairment in 4-year-old girls.
- Findings suggest a particular vulnerability of girls to BPA's effects on social development.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal and postnatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure are associated with social impairments in 4-year-old children.
- The association between BPA and social impairment is more pronounced in girls.
- These findings underscore the potential neurodevelopmental risks of BPA exposure during early life.
Background:
Prenatal and postnatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may affect early brain development. Rodent studies suggest that prenatal and postnatal neurodevelopmental toxicity from BPA exposure may manifest as social deficits in offspring. We investigated the association between prenatal and postnatal exposure to BPA and social impairments in a sample of 4-year-old children.
Methods:
We recruited second-trimester pregnant women between 2008 and 2011, and measured their creatinine-adjusted prenatal urine BPA levels. In 2014-2015, a subset of 4-year-old children born to these women underwent neurobehavioral assessment and physical examination. We collected urine and blood from the children and assessed social impairments, including deficits in social interaction, social communication, and other behavior patterns using the Korean version of the Social Communication Questionnaire (K-SCQ) (n = 304). We examined social impairments associated with prenatal exposure at mid-term pregnancy and postnatal exposure to BPA at 4 years of age, using linear and piecewise linear regression models.
Results:
The relationship between prenatal BPA exposure and social communication was non-linear and statistically significant at or above the flexion point for BPA levels of 3.0 μg/g creatinine in girls (58.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.5% to 135.8%). Each 2-fold increase in postnatal BPA exposure was significantly associated with an 11.8% (95% CI, 0.6% to 24.3%) increase in impairment in social communication in 4-year old girls, as indicated by the linear regression model.
Conclusion:
Prenatal and postnatal BPA exposure is associated with social impairment at 4 years of age, particularly in girls.
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