Maternal Prenatal Thyroid Function and Offspring ADHD: Findings From the ALSPAC Cohort

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Endocrinology
• Pregnancy health

Background:

• Thyroid hormone is crucial for brain development.
• Maternal thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy is a potential risk factor for offspring neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with complex etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between maternal thyroid function in early pregnancy and the risk of ADHD in offspring.
• To determine if thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, or thyroid peroxidase antibodies in mothers are linked to ADHD in children.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 2912 mother-child pairs in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
• Assessed maternal thyroid parameters (TSH, FT4, TPOAb) during the first trimester.
• Diagnosed offspring ADHD using the Development and Well-Being Assessment at ages 7.5 and 15 years.
• Employed generalized estimating equations to estimate odds ratios for ADHD.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant association was found between maternal thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and offspring ADHD (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.48-1.75).
• Maternal free thyroxine levels were not associated with ADHD in children (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.87-1.32).
• Thyroid peroxidase antibodies in mothers did not show a significant link to offspring ADHD (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.80-1.25).

Conclusions:

• Maternal thyroid function during the first trimester of pregnancy does not appear to be a significant risk factor for the development of ADHD in offspring.
• Further research may be needed to explore other potential environmental or genetic factors influencing ADHD.