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Gestational PBDE concentrations and functional connectivity in adolescents: The HOME Study

Jonathan Dudley1, Kimberly Yolton2, Alex D Edmondson3

  • 1Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
|January 16, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is linked to altered brain connectivity in adolescents. This study found that higher gestational PBDE levels were associated with reduced visual cortex connectivity, impacting neurobehavioral outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Toxicology

Background:

  • Gestational exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), common flame retardants, is suspected to harm child neurodevelopment.
  • The precise mechanisms by which PBDEs affect the developing brain remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between prenatal PBDE serum concentrations and intrinsic functional brain connectivity in adolescents.
  • To explore whether functional connectivity mediates the relationship between gestational PBDE exposure and neurobehavioral outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Maternal serum PBDE concentrations (five congeners, ∑5BDE) were measured during pregnancy.
  • High-resolution MRI (anatomical and resting-state fMRI) was used at age 12 to assess functional connectivity.
  • Neurobehavioral outcomes were evaluated using self- and caregiver-reports, and mediation analyses were performed.

Main Results:

  • Higher gestational BDE-153 concentrations correlated with increased local connectivity in the left inferior lateral occipital cortex.
  • Elevated gestational PBDE levels (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, ∑5BDE) were linked to decreased global connectivity in the primary visual cortex.
  • Functional connectivity patterns significantly mediated the association between ∑5BDE exposure and neurobehavioral outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Gestational PBDE exposure is associated with diminished functional connectivity in the adolescent primary visual cortex.
  • Altered brain connectivity mediates the link between prenatal PBDE exposure and neurobehavioral outcomes at age 12.
  • Findings suggest PBDEs disrupt visual information processing within global brain networks during development.
Abstract

Keywords:
AdolescentFunctional connectivityFunctional magnetic resonance imagingGestationalMediationPolybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardantsVisual cortex

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