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Maternal smoking during pregnancy and cortical structure in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Nellie H Fotopoulos1, Boris Chaumette2, Gabriel A Devenyi3

  • 1Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Psychiatry Research
|February 17, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal smoking exposure may affect ADHD risk. Epigenetic markers, unlike maternal recall, revealed smaller brain structures in children with ADHD, specifically in the right orbitofrontal cortex, middle temporal cortex, and parahippocampal gyrus.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) is a known risk factor for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
  • The precise mechanisms linking MSDP to ADHD remain unclear, but prenatal exposure may alter brain development.
  • Investigating these effects on cortical brain structures is crucial for understanding ADHD etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the impact of prenatal smoking exposure on cortical brain structures in children diagnosed with ADHD.
  • To compare the efficacy of maternal recall versus epigenetic markers in identifying prenatal smoking exposure.
  • To correlate brain structure differences with ADHD symptom severity.

Main Methods:

  • Two methods assessed prenatal smoking exposure: maternal self-report and epigenetic markers (EM).
  • Cortical brain measurements were acquired using CIVET-1.1.12, with statistical analyses performed using RMINC.
  • Children were grouped based on exposure status: +MSDP (n=24) vs. -MSDP (n=85) by recall, and +EM (n=14) vs. -EM (n=21) by epigenetics.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in brain structures were found between children based on maternal recall of smoking (+MSDP vs. -MSDP).
  • Children with positive epigenetic markers for smoking exposure (+EM) showed significantly smaller surface area in the right orbitofrontal cortex (ROFc), right middle temporal cortex (RTc), and right parahippocampal gyrus (RPHg) compared to -EM children.
  • Smaller cortical surface area in the RPHg was significantly correlated with higher scores on Continuous Performance Test (CPT) commission errors.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetic markers may provide a more accurate assessment of prenatal environmental exposures than maternal recall.
  • Prenatal smoking exposure, identified via epigenetic markers, is associated with specific alterations in cortical brain structure in children with ADHD.
  • These structural brain changes, particularly in the RPHg, may relate to specific ADHD-related behavioral deficits.

Keywords:
ADHDChildrenCortical surface areaEpigenetic markersPrenatal smoking

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