Gestational organophosphate esters (OPEs) and executive function in adolescence: The HOME Study

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Neuroscience
• Toxicology

Background:

• Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are recognized neurotoxicants.
• Limited epidemiological data exists on the link between prenatal OPE exposure and child executive function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between maternal urinary OPE metabolite concentrations during pregnancy and executive function in adolescents at age 12.
• To identify specific OPEs that may impact neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 223 mother-adolescent dyads in the HOME Study.
• Measured urinary OPE metabolites (BCEP, DPHP, DNBP) during gestation.
• Assessed adolescent executive function at age 12 using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF2).
• Employed multiple informant models and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Elevated gestational bis-2-chloroethyl phosphate (BCEP) at 26 weeks correlated with poorer self-reported executive function (Cognitive Regulation Index, Emotion Regulation Index, Global Executive Composite).
• Higher diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) at 16 weeks was associated with lower parent-reported Global Executive Composite scores.
• BKMR analysis highlighted BCEP and di-n-butyl phosphate (DNBP) at 26 weeks as significant contributors to specific executive function domains.

Conclusions:

• Gestational exposure to OPE metabolites, particularly BCEP, may adversely affect adolescent executive function.
• Findings suggest a potential neurodevelopmental impact of OPEs, warranting further investigation.
• The study recommends larger cohort studies to achieve statistical significance and confirm these associations.