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Associations between oxidative stress biomarkers during pregnancy and infant cognition at 7.5 months

Stephanie M Eick1, Kaegan Ortlund2, Andréa Aguiar3,4

  • 1Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Developmental Psychobiology
|February 22, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Oxidative stress in pregnancy may impact infant cognitive development. Higher levels of certain oxidative stress biomarkers were linked to reduced novelty preference, suggesting poorer recognition memory in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • Oxidative stress is implicated in neurodevelopmental delay.
  • Research on oxidative stress and infant cognitive outcomes is limited.
  • Infancy is a critical period for brain development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal urinary oxidative stress biomarkers and infant cognitive function.
  • To assess effects on information processing speed, recognition memory, and attention.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a subset (N=144) from the Illinois Kids Development Study.
  • Measurement of four urinary oxidative stress biomarkers (8-isoprostane-PGF2α, 2,3-dinor-5,6-dihydro-8-iso-PGF2α, 2,3-dinor-8-iso-PGF2α, prostaglandin-F2α) from second and third trimesters.
  • Infant cognition assessed using a visual recognition memory task measuring novelty preference, run duration, time to familiarization, and shift rate.

Main Results:

  • Elevated levels of 8-isoprostane-PGF2α, 2,3-dinor-8-iso-PGF2α, and prostaglandin-F2α were associated with decreased novelty preference.
  • These biomarkers were also linked to a modest increase in shift rate.
  • Findings suggest a potential link between maternal oxidative stress and infant recognition memory.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal exposure to oxidative stress during pregnancy may negatively affect infant cognitive development, particularly recognition memory.
  • Further research is warranted to confirm these associations and explore underlying mechanisms.
  • Early life oxidative stress could be a modifiable factor influencing neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Keywords:
cognitioninfancyisoprostanesoxidative stresspregnancy

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