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Neurobehaviour of school age children born to diabetic mothers
A Ornoy1, N Ratzon, C Greenbaum
1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
Insights
Maternal diabetes during pregnancy can impact children's fine motor skills and attention by school age, though cognitive abilities remain unaffected. These neurobehavioral effects are not linked to the mother's blood sugar control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Maternal diabetes during pregnancy is a growing concern with potential long-term effects on child development.
- Understanding the neurobehavioral outcomes in children exposed to diabetes in utero is crucial for early intervention and support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurobehavioral effects of maternal diabetes during pregnancy on children by school age.
- To compare cognitive, behavioral, sensory, and motor functions in children born to diabetic mothers versus control groups.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 57 school-age children born to 48 well-controlled diabetic mothers was compared to 57 matched controls.
- Neurobehavioral assessments included cognitive tests, sensory-motor evaluations, and specific motor proficiency tests (e.g., Bruininks-Oseretzky).
- Behavioral assessments utilized tools like the Conners abbreviated parent-teacher questionnaire and Pollack tapper test.
Main Results:
- Children of diabetic mothers showed similar IQ scores and sensory-motor functions compared to controls.
- Deficits were observed in fine and gross motor functions, alongside increased hyperactivity and inattention.
- A negative correlation was noted between neurodevelopmental test performance and markers of maternal hyperglycemia (HbA1c, acetonuria).
Conclusions:
- Maternal diabetes during pregnancy adversely affects specific fine neurological functions and behavioral aspects in school-aged children.
- Cognitive scores were not significantly impacted.
- The observed neurobehavioral effects were not correlated with the degree of maternal glycemic control.
Aim:
To study the neurobehavioural effects that diabetes during pregnancy might have on children by school age.
Methods:
The neurobehavioural function of 57 school age children born to 48, well controlled diabetic mothers was compared with 57 control children matched for age, birth order, and parental socioeconomic status, using several cognitive, behavioural, sensory and motor neurological tests.
Results:
The IQ scores of the index group children were similar to those of control children (117.7 +/- 13.4 vs 118.5 +/- 10.1). There were no differences between the groups in various sensory motor functions. However, the index group children performed less well than the controls on indices of fine and gross motor functions, as observed on the Bruininks-Oseretzky test of motor proficiency. The scores of children born to diabetic mothers were higher than controls on the Touwen and Prechtl neurological examination. They also performed worse in the Pollack tapper test which is designed to detect minor neurological deficits, inattention, and hyperactivity. The index children had higher scores on the Conners abbreviated parent-teacher questionnaire which measures hyperactivity and inattention. There was a negative correlation between the performance of the index group children on various neurodevelopmental and behavioural tests and the severity of hyperglycaemia, as assessed by blood glycosylated haemoglobin and acetonuria.
Conclusions:
Diabetes during pregnancy adversely affects some fine neurological functions in children at school age, but not their cognitive scores. These effects are not correlated with the degree of glycaemic control.