Prenatal famine exposure and late-life functional brain network connectivity: A longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Prenatal environmental factors, such as famine exposure, can have lasting effects on brain development and function into adulthood.
• Previous research identified sex-specific differences in resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of key brain networks at age 68 in the Dutch famine cohort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate longitudinal changes in RSFC of the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN) between ages 68 and 74.
• To compare these changes between individuals exposed and unexposed to famine in early gestation.

Main Methods:

• Latent change score modeling with full information maximum likelihood estimation was used to analyze longitudinal RSFC data.
• Within- and between-network connectivity of the DMN, SN, and CEN were assessed in 115 individuals at age 68 and 80 at age 74.
• The study compared individuals exposed to famine in early gestation with those unexposed.

Main Results:

• No significant group differences were found in baseline RSFC (intercept) or the rate of change (slope) for within-network connectivity of the DMN, SN, and CEN.
• The model for between-network connectivity did not fit well, preventing group comparisons.
• Across both groups, DMN connectivity increased over time, and negative functional connectivity between the DMN and SN also increased.

Conclusions:

• Prenatal famine exposure did not lead to more pronounced aging-related alterations in brain network connectivity compared to unexposed individuals.
• The study does not provide evidence for accelerated brain aging patterns in RSFC following early-gestation famine exposure.
• Longitudinal changes in brain network connectivity into older adulthood appear robust and not significantly impacted by early-life famine exposure in this cohort.