Postnatal BPA is associated with increasing executive function difficulties in preschool children

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics
• Toxicology

Background:

• Early life exposure to bisphenols may affect executive function.
• Less is known about sex-specific effects of bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) on cognitive development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between early BPA and BPS exposure and sex-dependent changes in preschool executive function.

Main Methods:

• Maternal urine samples (prenatal and 3-month postnatal) from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort (n=312) were analyzed for BPA and BPS concentrations.
• Mothers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P) when children were ages 2 and 4.
• Changes in executive function domains (inhibitory self-control, flexibility, emergent metacognition) were analyzed using adjusted multivariate regression.

Main Results:

• Maternal postnatal BPA concentrations were associated with sex-dependent changes in executive function.
• Higher postnatal BPA predicted increased difficulties in inhibitory self-control and emergent metacognition from ages 2 to 4 in female children, but not male children.
• Neither prenatal BPA nor prenatal/postnatal BPS were significantly associated with changes in executive function.

Conclusions:

• Postnatal BPA exposure may negatively impact executive function development in girls.
• Findings highlight the need for further research into postnatal bisphenol exposure effects on child neurodevelopment.
• Given widespread BPA exposure, additional precautions may be necessary to protect infants from indirect BPA exposure.