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Placental pathology predicts infantile neurodevelopment.
Megumi Ueda1, Kenji J Tsuchiya2, Chizuko Yaguchi3
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Scientific Reports
|February 17, 2022
Summary
Certain placental pathologies correlate with infant neurodevelopment. Some findings predict lower scores, while others predict higher scores on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) up to 40 months.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Pathology
Background:
- Placental abnormalities are linked to adverse infant outcomes.
- Understanding the specific associations between placental pathology and neurodevelopment is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between placental pathological findings and infantile neurodevelopment.
- To identify specific placental findings that predict neurodevelopmental trajectories up to 40 months of age.
Main Methods:
- 258 singleton infants from the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children (HBC Study) were analyzed.
- Placental pathology was assessed from random blocks, examining eleven findings.
- Infant neurodevelopment was evaluated using Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) at multiple time points (10-40 months).
Main Results:
- 'Accelerated villous maturation', 'Maternal vascular malperfusion', and 'Delayed villous maturation' predicted lower MSEL composite scores.
- 'Avascular villi', 'Thrombosis or Intramural fibrin deposition', 'Fetal vascular malperfusion', and 'Fetal inflammatory response' predicted higher MSEL composite scores.
- Mixed modeling identified these associations as significant predictors.
Conclusions:
- This study is the first to report bidirectional associations between placental pathology and infantile neurodevelopment.
- Specific placental findings have differential impacts on neurodevelopmental progression.
- These findings highlight the placenta's role in shaping early neurodevelopment.
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