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

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.