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

Gillian England-Mason1,2, Jiaying Liu3, Jonathan W Martin3,4

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Pediatric Research
|May 15, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Early exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) impacts girls' executive function development, specifically inhibitory control and metacognition. Postnatal BPA exposure is linked to these changes, suggesting precautions for infants.

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.
Abstract

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