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Cord Blood Thyroid Hormones and Neurodevelopment in 2-Year-Old Boys and Girls

Pianpian Fan1, Yuanzhi Chen1, Zhong-Cheng Luo1,2

  • 1Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Frontiers in Nutrition
|January 6, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Mild alterations in neonatal thyroid hormones, specifically low free thyroxine (FT4), were linked to poorer neurodevelopment in infant boys. Optimal thyroid hormone levels are crucial for early childhood development.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Neurodevelopment
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Thyroid hormones are critical for fetal and infant brain development.
  • The effects of subtle variations in neonatal thyroid hormone levels on neurodevelopment, particularly sex differences, remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between mild variations in neonatal thyroid hormones (free thyroxine [FT4], free triiodothyronine [FT3], thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]) and neurodevelopmental outcomes in 2-year-old children.
  • To explore potential sex dimorphism in these associations.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 452 term-born infants with maternal euthyroid status was studied.
  • Cord serum concentrations of FT4, FT3, TSH, and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) were measured and categorized into quintiles.
  • Neurodevelopment was assessed at 24 months using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, third edition (ASQ-3).

Main Results:

  • Infant boys in the lowest quintile of cord serum FT4 showed significantly lower scores in communication, fine motor, and personal-social domains compared to those in middle quintiles.
  • Infant boys in the highest quintile of cord serum FT3 demonstrated improved personal-social domain scores.
  • These associations were not observed in girls, and no significant links were found between cord TSH levels and neurodevelopmental outcomes in either sex.

Conclusions:

  • Mildly altered neonatal thyroid hormone levels, particularly FT4, are associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in infant boys.
  • These findings highlight the importance of maintaining optimal thyroid hormone status during early life for neurodevelopment, with potential sex-specific effects.

Keywords:
ASQ-3boys and girlscord bloodinfancyneurodevelopmentthyroid hormones

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