Prenatal chronic inflammation and children’s executive function development
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Fetal inflammation, typically measured indirectly through prenatal maternal cytokine markers, has been shown to impact early childhood executive functions (EFs), which are central to later cognitive and life outcomes. Here, we assessed the impact of prenatal inflammation on EF developmental trajectories using direct placenta histopathology measures in 131 mothers who predominantly self-identified as Black (90.8% Black; 0.8% Asian American, 1.5% biracial, 0.8% Latinx, 3.1% White, 3.1% Missing). We found that placental measures of inflammation were associated with limited gain in EF development from 3 to 5 years old. In follow up analyses, we addressed whether screening questionnaires in infancy might aid in classification of infants as higher risk for subsequent EF problems. We found that parent responses to the Ages & Stages Questionnaire and the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile at 12 months predict the development of EF abilities in children exposed to chronic inflammation. These findings open promising opportunities for early screening of children at risk for poor executive functioning in children exposed to prenatal inflammation.
Source: Child Neuropsychology
Institutions: NYU Langone Health, New York University, Wayne State University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: From the womb to the classroom: Linking perinatal micronutrients and toxicants to neural and behavioral development in utero and in childhood, G3312042162, “Overlapping and Discrete Pathways Through Which Prenatal Isolation and Uncertainty Stress Impact Maternal Mental Health and Child Neurodevelopment, G6527602664, G9000183069, G9000303929, G966162126
OpenAlex ID: W4404769968