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The association between prenatal concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ether and child cognitive and psychomotor

Giulia Solazzo1, Haotian Wu1, Hannah E Laue2

  • 1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.

Environmental Epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.)
|June 16, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) showed no significant impact on child cognitive or motor development. This study investigated PBDEs

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) has been linked to adverse child neurodevelopment.
  • The precise timing of PBDE exposure's impact on neurodevelopment remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between PBDE concentrations during early and late pregnancy and cognitive function in children aged 6-8 years.
  • To assess the relationship between prenatal PBDE exposure and various neuropsychological domains, including verbal skills, memory, visuospatial processing, attention, and motor control.

Main Methods:

  • Maternal plasma samples from 800 pregnant women were analyzed for four PBDE congeners (BDE-47, -99, -100, -153) at 12 weeks gestation and delivery.
  • Cognitive and motor functions of 355 children (aged 6-8) were evaluated using standardized neuropsychological tests.
  • Linear regression and quantile g-computation models were employed to analyze the associations.

Main Results:

  • No significant associations were found between PBDE mixtures and overall child psychologic scores.
  • A nominal association was observed between higher BDE-99 concentrations at delivery and improved short-term/working memory.
  • Higher BDE-100 concentrations at delivery were nominally linked to decreased spatial perception and reasoning.

Conclusions:

  • The study found no significant evidence of an association between prenatal PBDE exposure and child cognitive or motor development.
  • The findings suggest that PBDEs may not have a substantial impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes in the studied age group.

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