Smoking during pregnancy affects foetal brain development

Long-term impact of maternal prenatal smoking on EEG brain activity and internalizing/externalizing problem symptoms in young adults

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of smoking during pregnancy on the development of the child. While previous research has established its detrimental effects during early childhood, understanding potential long-term consequences into adulthood remains limited. This study specifically aimed to explore the influence of prenatal smoking exposure on brain activity and whether internalizing and externalizing symptoms are influenced by prenatal smoking exposure in a cohort of young adults.

METHODS

Utilizing data from 176 participants (mean age M = 24.68, SD = 0.49) and their mothers enrolled in a longitudinal risk study (MARS), we employed Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) to analyze electroencephalography (EEG) power at rest and behavioral outcomes derived from the Young Adult-Self-Report (YASR) scales. Both covariate-unadjusted and -adjusted models were used, taking into account participant variables such as sex and age, as well as maternal factors like psychopathology and alcohol consumption, in addition to smoking and alcohol intake by the participants themselves.

RESULTS

The study revealed a significant impact of prenatal smoking on delta and theta band power, indicating decreased slower brain activity in prenatally exposed individuals compared to unexposed counterparts. Additionally, individuals exposed to prenatal smoking exhibited significantly higher levels of externalizing behavior. While this association was strongly influenced by maternal psychopathology, the child's gender, and the child's own substance use, the effect on delta power band remained after adjusting for covariates.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that prenatal smoking exposure may have enduring effects on brain activity patterns in young adulthood. Conversely, the influence on externalizing behaviors depended on familial factors (maternal psychopathology) and the lifestyle of the individual (substance use).

The Influence of Birth Weight, Socio-Economic Status, and Adult Health on Brain Volumes during Ageing

INTRODUCTION

Greater late-life brain volumes are associated with resilience against dementia. We examined relationships between birth weight, lifelong socio-economic status, and health with late-life brain volumes. We hypothesised that early life factors directly affect late-life brain volumes.

METHODS

Adults aged 59-67 y underwent MRI and brain volumes were measured. Birth weight and lifelong health, and socio-economic status were quantified and the principal components of each extracted. Relationships were examined using regression and structural equation analysis.

RESULTS

Birth weight (β = 0.095, p = 0.017) and childhood socio-economic status (β = 0.091, p = 0.033, n = 280) were directly associated with brain volume. Childhood socio-economic status was further associated with grey matter volume (β = 0.04, p = 0.047). Adult health was linked to increased brain volume (β = 0.15, p = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

Birth weight and childhood socio-economic status are associated with whole and regional brain volume through direct mechanisms. Optimal fetal development, reduced childhood poverty, and good adult health could reduce brain atrophy and delay dementia onset in late-life.

Children had smaller brain volumes and cortical surface areas after prenatal opioid maintenance therapy exposure

AIM

The studies have shown that infants with prenatal OMT exposure had smaller brain volumes than non-exposed controls, but long-term outcome data are lacking. We examined 5-13-year-old OMT-exposed children with brain MRI and tested motor and visual-motor functions and possible associations between brain morphology and outcome.

METHODS

To this retrospective cohort study, we recruited 55 children with prenatal OMT exposure and 59 age- and gender-matched controls. They were examined with brain MRI, Movement-ABC and Beery-VMI. MRI images were processed with the Free Surfer® software to obtain volumetrics and estimates of cortical surface area and thickness. We used a general linear regression model (GLM) to calculate group differences.

RESULTS

The children in the OMT group had smaller mean total intracranial volume (ICV), 1407 cm3 (CI 95% 1379-1434) versus 1450 cm3 (CI 95% 1423-1476) in the control group (p = 0.026). After adjusting for ICV, significant group differences persisted for volumes of amygdala, basal ganglia and mid-posterior part of corpus callosum. Cortical surface area was smaller in the left caudal middle frontal gyrus and the right inferior parietal lobule in the OMT-group. Visual-motor function was significantly correlated with ICV.

CONCLUSION

Prenatal OMT exposure may alter early brain development with possible negative long-term functional consequences.

Tracing the influence of prenatal risk factors on the offspring retina: Focus on development and putative long-term consequences

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy represents a window of vulnerability to fetal development. Disruptions in the prenatal environment during this crucial period can increase the risk of the offspring developing diseases over the course of their lifetime. The central nervous system (CNS) has been shown to be particularly susceptible to changes during crucial developmental windows. To date, research focused on disruptions in the development of the CNS has predominantly centred on the brain, revealing a correlation between exposure to prenatal risk factors and the onset of neuropsychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, some studies indicate that the retina, which is part of the CNS, is also vulnerable to in utero alterations during pregnancy. Such changes may affect neuronal, glial and vascular components of the retina, compromising retinal structure and function and possibly impairing visual function.

METHODS

A search in the PubMed database was performed, and any literature concerning prenatal risk factors (drugs, diabetes, unbalanced diet, infection, glucocorticoids) affecting the offspring retina were included.

RESULTS

This review collects evidence on the cellular, structural and functional changes occurring in the retina triggered by maternal risk factors during pregnancy. We highlight the adverse impact on retinal development and its long-lasting effects, providing a critical analysis of the current knowledge while underlining areas for future research.

CONCLUSIONS

Appropriate recognition of the prenatal risk factors that negatively impact the developing retina may provide critical clues for the design of preventive strategies and for early therapeutic intervention that could change retinal pathology in the progeny.

Interaction of maternal smoking and gestational diabetes mellitus on newborn head circumference and birthweight

INTRODUCTION

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have opposite effects on fetal growth during pregnancy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the interaction of smoking during pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus on head circumference and birthweight of newborns.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included all primiparous women with singleton pregnancies (n = 290 602) without previously diagnosed diabetes or hypertension in Finland between 2006 and 2018. The information on gestational diabetes mellitus, newborn birthweight and head circumference, and maternal smoking and backgrounds was derived from the Finnish Medical Birth Register. Linear regression models were used in the analyses.

RESULTS

In total 8.0% of parturients quit smoking during the first trimester and 9.9% continued smoking thereafter. The prevalence of GDM was 8.9% (n = 25 948). Newborns of women who continued smoking had a smaller head circumference (b = -0.24, SE = 0.01, p < 0.0001) and birthweight (b = -0.28, SE = 0.01, p < 0.0001) compared to newborns of women who did not smoke. Head circumference and birthweight were greater in newborns of women with GDM (b = 0.09, SE = 0.01, p < 0.0001 and b = 0.16, SE = 0.01, p < 0.0001, respectively) compared to newborns of women without GDM. In the interaction analyses, head circumference (b = -0.13, SE = 0.01, p < 0.0001) was smaller and birthweight (b = -0.13, SE = 0.02, p < 0.0001) was lower in newborns of women with GDM who continued smoking compared to newborns of women without GDM who did not smoke.

CONCLUSIONS

Although smoking and GDM have opposite effects on fetal growth, the negative effects of exposure to smoking are also seen in newborns of women with GDM. Compared to smoking after the first trimester of pregnancy, cessation of smoking during the first trimester was associated with greater head circumference and birthweight in newborns.

Smoking during pregnancy and risk of multiple sclerosis in offspring and mother: A Danish nationwide register-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

The association between intra-uterine exposure to maternal smoking and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been little studied and with conflicting results.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the risk of MS in offspring exposed intra-uterine to maternal smoking. In addition, to re-examine prior observations of an elevated risk of MS among smokers, assuming that self-reported smoking during pregnancy reflects the woman's general smoking habits.

METHODS

The study cohort included all Danish women, pregnant in the period 1991-2018, (n = 789,299) and singletons from these pregnancies (n = 879,135). Nationwide information on maternal smoking during pregnancy and MS cases in the study cohort were obtained from the Medical Birth Register and the National Patient Register. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for the association between smoking and MS risk.

RESULTS

Women who smoked during pregnancy had a 42% increased risk of developing MS compared with non-smoking women (HR = 1.42 (1.32-1.52), n = 1,296). The risk of MS among singletons of women who smoked during pregnancy was 38% higher than that among singletons born to non-smoking women (HR = 1.38 (1.08-1.76), n = 110).

CONCLUSION

Our observations add further to the evidence implicating smoking in the development of MS and suggest that intra-uterine exposure to tobacco smoke may increase MS risk.

In Utero Exposure to Alcohol and Tobacco and Electroencephalogram Power During Childhood

Importance

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) are risk factors associated with adverse neurobehavioral and cognitive outcomes.

Objective

To quantify long-term associations of PAE and PTE with brain activity in early and middle childhood via electroencephalography (EEG).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study included participants enrolled in the Safe Passage Study (August 2007 to January 2015), from which a subset of 649 participants were followed up in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program. From September 2018 through November 2022, EEG recordings were obtained at ages 4, 5, 7, 9, or 11 years. Data were analyzed from November 2022 to November 2023.

Exposures

Maternal self-reported consumptions of alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy were captured at the recruitment interview and at up to 3 visits during pregnancy (20-24, 28-32, and ≥34 weeks' gestation). Classifications of PAE (continuous drinking, quit-early drinking, and nondrinking) and PTE (continuous smoking, quit-early smoking, and nonsmoking) were previously obtained.

Main Outcomes and Measures

EEG band powers (theta, alpha, beta, gamma) were extracted from the EEG recordings. Linear regression models were used to estimate the associations of PAE and PTE with EEG estimates.

Results

The final sample included 649 participants (333 [51.3%] female) aged 4, 5, 7, 9, or 11 years. Children whose mothers were in the quit-early drinking cluster had increased alpha power (0.116 [95% CI, 0.023 to 0.209] μV2; P = .02) compared with individuals without PAE. The magnitude of this increase was approximately double for children exposed to continuous drinking (0.211 [95% CI, 0.005 to 0.417] μV2; P = .04). Children whose mothers were in the continuous smoking cluster had decreased beta power (-0.031 [95% CI, -0.059 to -0.003] μV2; P = .03) and gamma power (-0.020 [95% CI, -0.039 to -0.000] μV2; P = .04) compared with the nonsmoking cluster. In exploratory sex-stratified models, male participants in the quit-early PAE cluster had greater EEG power in the alpha band (0.159 [95% CI, 0.003 to 0.315] μV2; P = .04) compared with those with no PAE, and the difference was approximately double for male participants with continuous PAE (0.354 [95% CI, 0.041 to 0.667] μV2; P = .03). Male participants in the continuous PTE cluster had decreased beta (-0.048 [95% CI, -0.090 to - 0.007] μV2; P = .02) and gamma (-0.032 [95% CI, -0.061 - 0.002] μV2; P = .04) power compared with those with no PTE.

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings suggest that even low levels of PAE and PTE were associated with long-term alterations of brain activity.

Perinatal Factors and Emotional, Cognitive, and Behavioral Dysregulation in Childhood and Adolescence

OBJECTIVE

This cohort study assessed perinatal factors known to be related to maternal and neonatal inflammation and hypothesized that several would be associated with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dysregulation in youth.

METHOD

The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) is a research consortium of 69 pediatric longitudinal cohorts. A subset of 18 cohorts that had both Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) data on children (6-18 years) and information on perinatal exposures including maternal prenatal infections was used. Children were classified as having the CBCL-Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP) if the sum of their T scores for 3 CBCL subscales (attention, anxious/depressed, and aggression) was ≥180. Primary exposures were perinatal factors associated with maternal and/or neonatal inflammation, and associations between these and outcome were assessed.

RESULTS

Approximately 13.4% of 4,595 youth met criteria for CBCL-DP. Boys were affected more than girls (15.1% vs 11.5%). More youth with CBCL-DP (35%) were born to mothers with prenatal infections compared with 28% of youth without CBCL-DP. Adjusted odds ratios indicated the following were significantly associated with dysregulation: having a first-degree relative with a psychiatric disorder; being born to a mother with lower educational attainment, who was obese, had any prenatal infection, and/or who smoked tobacco during pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

In this large study, a few modifiable maternal risk factors with established roles in inflammation (maternal lower education, obesity, prenatal infections, and smoking) were strongly associated with CBCL-DP and could be targets for interventions to improve behavioral outcomes of offspring.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT

We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented sexual and/or gender groups in science. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work.

Early-life exposure to cigarette smoke primes lung function and DNA methylation changes at Cyp1a1 upon exposure later in life

Prenatal and early-life exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) has repeatedly been shown to induce stable, long-term changes in DNA methylation (DNAm) in offspring. It has been hypothesized that these changes might be functionally related to the known outcomes of prenatal and early-life CS exposure, which include impaired lung development, altered lung function, and increased risk of asthma and wheeze. However, to date, few studies have examined DNAm changes induced by prenatal CS in tissues of the lung, and even fewer have attempted to examine the specific influences of prenatal versus early postnatal exposures. Here, we have established a mouse model of CS exposure which isolates the effects of prenatal and early postnatal CS exposures in early life. We have used this model to measure the effects of prenatal and/or postnatal CS exposures on lung function and immune cell infiltration as well as DNAm and expression of Cyp1a1, a candidate gene previously observed to demonstrate DNAm differences on CS exposure in humans. Our study revealed that exposure to CS prenatally and in the early postnatal period causes long-lasting differences in offspring lung function, gene expression, and lung Cyp1a1 DNAm, which wane over time but are reestablished on reexposure to CS in adulthood. This study creates a testable mouse model that can be used to investigate the effects of prenatal and early postnatal CS exposures and will contribute to the design of intervention strategies to mediate these detrimental effects.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here, we isolated effects of prenatal from early postnatal cigarette smoke and showed that exposure to cigarette smoke early in life causes changes in offspring DNA methylation at Cyp1a1 that last through early adulthood but not into late adulthood. We also showed that smoking in adulthood reestablished these DNA methylation patterns at Cyp1a1, suggesting that a mechanism other than DNA methylation results in long-term memory associated with early-life cigarette smoke exposures at this gene.

The association between adverse birth outcomes and smoking cessation during pregnancy across the United States-43 States and New York City, 2012-2017

PURPOSE

This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the risks of adverse birth outcomes among pregnant smokers and the benefits of smoking cessation during pregnancy on birth outcomes across the United States.

METHODS

We performed an analysis of 203,437 pregnant women using data collected by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) from 2012 to 2017. PRAMS uses questionnaires and birth certificates to collect information about the socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women, smoking status before and during pregnancy, and birth outcomes. We assessed the relationship between self-reported smoking status during pregnancy and preterm birth, low birth weight, and small-for-gestational-age using multivariable logistic regression models.

RESULTS

In our study population, 80.43% of pregnant women never smoked, 10.55% of pregnant women quit smoking during pregnancy, and 9.02% continued smoking during pregnancy. Puerto Rico had the highest prevalence of non-smokers (94.12%), while West Virginia had the lowest prevalence of non-smokers (60.54%). Pregnant women who had a higher education level, were married, had less than 5 types of stress, and had government or private insurance before pregnancy had a higher prevalence of smokers who quit during pregnancy (quit smokers) than those that continued smoking (continuous smokers). Compared to non-smokers, continuous smokers had a significantly higher risk of low birth weight (AOR: 1.91, 95% CI 1.80, 2.03), preterm birth (AOR: 1.31, 95% CI 1.21, 1.41), and small-for-gestational-age (AOR: 2.22, 95% CI 2.07, 2.39). However, the relationships between quitting smoking and preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age were not significant.

CONCLUSION

Our models suggest that smoking cessation during pregnancy can prevent adverse birth outcomes by significantly reducing the risk of preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age to almost comparable to not smoking.

Nutrient Supplementation during the Prenatal Period in Substance-Using Mothers: A Narrative Review of the Effects on Offspring Development

Substance use during pregnancy increases the risk for poor developmental outcomes of the offspring, and for substance-dependent mothers, abstaining from substance use during pregnancy is often difficult. Given the addictive nature of many substances, strategies that may mitigate the harmful effects of prenatal substance exposure are important. Prenatal nutrient supplementation is an emerging intervention that may improve developmental outcomes among substance-exposed offspring. We provide a narrative review of the literature on micronutrient and fatty acid supplementation during pregnancies exposed to substance use in relation to offspring developmental outcomes. We first discuss animal models exposed to ethanol during pregnancy with supplementation of choline, zinc, vitamin E, iron, and fatty acids. We follow with human studies of both alcohol- and nicotine-exposed pregnancies with supplementation of choline and vitamin C, respectively. We identified only 26 animal studies on ethanol and 6 human studies on alcohol and nicotine that supplemented nutrients during pregnancy and reported offspring developmental outcomes. There were no studies that examined nutrient supplementation during pregnancies exposed to cannabis, illicit substances, or polysubstance use. Implementations and future directions are discussed.

Association of Preterm Birth and Socioeconomic Status With Neonatal Brain Structure

Importance

Preterm birth and socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with brain structure in childhood, but the relative contributions of each during the neonatal period are unknown.

Objective

To investigate associations of birth gestational age (GA) and SES with neonatal brain morphology by testing 3 hypotheses: GA and SES are associated with brain morphology; associations between SES and brain morphology vary with GA; and associations between SES and brain structure and morphology depend on how SES is operationalized.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study recruited participants from November 2016 to September 2021 at a single center in the United Kingdom. Participants were 170 extremely and very preterm infants and 91 full-term or near-term infants. Exclusion criteria were major congenital malformation, chromosomal abnormality, congenital infection, cystic periventricular leukomalacia, hemorrhagic parenchymal infarction, and posthemorrhagic ventricular dilatation.

Exposures

Birth GA and SES, operationalized at the neighborhood level (using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation), the family level (using parental education and occupation), and subjectively (World Health Organization Quality of Life measure).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Brain volume (85 parcels) and 5 whole-brain cortical morphology measures (gyrification index, thickness, sulcal depth, curvature, surface area) at term-equivalent age (median [range] age, 40 weeks, 5 days [36 weeks, 2 days to 45 weeks, 6 days] and 42 weeks [38 weeks, 2 days to 46 weeks, 1 day] for preterm and full-term infants, respectively).

Results

Participants were 170 extremely and very preterm infants (95 [55.9%] male; 4 of 166 [2.4%] Asian, 145 of 166 [87.3%] White) and 91 full-term or near-term infants (50 [54.9%] male; 3 of 86 [3.5%] Asian, 78 of 86 [90.7%] White infants) with median (range) birth GAs of 30 weeks, 0 days (22 weeks, 1 day, to 32 weeks, 6 days) and 39 weeks, 4 days (36 weeks, 3 days, to 42 weeks, 1 day), respectively. In fully adjusted models, birth GA was associated with a higher proportion of brain volumes (27 of 85 parcels [31.8%]; β range, -0.20 to 0.24) than neighborhood-level SES (1 of 85 parcels [1.2%]; β = 0.17 [95% CI, -0.16 to 0.50]) or family-level SES (maternal education: 4 of 85 parcels [4.7%]; β range, 0.09 to 0.15; maternal occupation: 1 of 85 parcels [1.2%]; β = 0.06 [95% CI, 0.02 to 0.11] respectively). There were interactions between GA and both family-level and subjective SES measures on regional brain volumes. Birth GA was associated with cortical surface area (β = 0.10 [95% CI, 0.02 to 0.18]) and gyrification index (β = 0.16 [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.25]); no SES measure was associated with cortical measures.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of UK infants, birth GA and SES were associated with neonatal brain morphology, but low GA had more widely distributed associations with neonatal brain structure than SES. Further work is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the association of both GA and SES with early brain development.

Association of Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy with Neurophysiological and ADHD-Related Outcomes in School-Aged Children

Data of a longitudinal cohort study were analyzed to investigate the association between prenatal tobacco exposure and electroencephalographical (EEG) power spectrum in healthy, school-aged children as well as its relationship with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms. Group comparisons (exposed, non-exposed) were performed to test whether prenatal tobacco exposure was associated with brain activity and ADHD symptoms, with adjustments made for covariates including child's sex, child's age, maternal age, maternal smoking habit before pregnancy, alcohol consumption during pregnancy, gestation age, and maternal psychopathology. Tobacco-exposed children showed higher brain activity in the delta and theta frequency bands. This effect was independent of the considered covariates. However, the effects on hyperactivity were found to significantly depend on maternal age and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but not on the amount of exposure. In summary, smoking during pregnancy significantly affected the resting-state brain activity in children, independent of socio-demographic factors, indicating potential long-lasting effects on brain development. Its impact on ADHD-related behavior was shown to be influenced by socio-demographic confounding factors, such as maternal alcohol consumption and the age of the mother.

Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and risk of brain abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging at term in infants born very preterm

BACKGROUND

Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and preterm birth are associated with abnormal brain and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants. Studies that can disentangle indirect mediating effects from direct effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on sensitive early brain magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers in very preterm infants are needed.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine whether prenatal tobacco smoke exposure in preterm infants posed any direct effects on magnetic resonance imaging-determined global brain abnormality score and secondary measures of brain abnormalities after removing any indirect mediating effects of preterm birth on neurostructural outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

We examined brain magnetic resonance imaging findings collected at 39 to 44 weeks postmenstrual age from a prospective cohort of 395 infants born very preterm (gestational age of ≤32 weeks). The primary outcome was global brain abnormality score, and the secondary outcomes were global efficiency of structural connectome, diffuse white matter abnormality volume, total brain tissue volume, total gray and white matter volumes, and cerebellar volume. Maternal reports of smoking during pregnancy were obtained. We performed multivariable linear regression analyses to examine the association between prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and our magnetic resonance imaging outcomes, controlling for prospectively collected confounders. Moreover, we performed a mediation analysis to estimate the direct effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on brain abnormalities and any indirect effects through preterm birth.

RESULTS

Overall, 12.6% of infants had prenatal tobacco smoke exposure. Infants with prenatal tobacco smoke exposure had a higher median global brain abnormality score than nonexposed infants (7 [interquartile range, 0-41] vs 5 [interquartile range, 0-34]; P≤.001); the findings remained significant (P<.001) after controlling for antenatal confounders. Global efficiency (P<.001), diffuse white matter volume (P=.037), and total brain tissue volume (P=.047) were significantly different between TSE groups in multivariable analyses. On mediation analysis, preterm birth mediated between 0% and 29% of the indirect effect of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on several measures of brain abnormality outcomes. Thus, prenatal tobacco smoke exposure had a direct adverse effect between 71% and 100% on brain injury or abnormal development.

CONCLUSION

Our study has identified multiple adverse effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on sensitive and objective measures of neonatal brain injury and abnormal development; most cases seemed to be a direct effect of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on fetal brain development. The results underscored the significant adverse neurostructural effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants.

Shaping the risk for late-life neurodegenerative disease: A systematic review on prenatal risk factors for Alzheimer's disease-related volumetric brain biomarkers

Environmental exposures including toxins and nutrition may hamper the developing brain in utero, limiting the brain's reserve capacity and increasing the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize all currently available evidence for the association between prenatal exposures and AD-related volumetric brain biomarkers. We systematically searched MEDLINE and Embase for studies in humans reporting on associations between prenatal exposure(s) and AD-related volumetric brain biomarkers, including whole brain volume (WBV), hippocampal volume (HV) and/or temporal lobe volume (TLV) measured with structural magnetic resonance imaging (PROSPERO; CRD42020169317). Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. We identified 79 eligible studies (search date: August 30th, 2020; Ntotal=24,784; median age 10.7 years) reporting on WBV (N = 38), HV (N = 63) and/or TLV (N = 5) in exposure categories alcohol (N = 30), smoking (N = 7), illicit drugs (N = 14), mental health problems (N = 7), diet (N = 8), disease, treatment and physiology (N = 10), infections (N = 6) and environmental exposures (N = 3). Overall risk of bias was low. Prenatal exposure to alcohol, opioids, cocaine, nutrient shortage, placental dysfunction and maternal anemia was associated with smaller brain volumes. We conclude that the prenatal environment is important in shaping the risk for late-life neurodegenerative disease.

Antenatal maternal intimate partner violence exposure is associated with sex-specific alterations in brain structure among young infants: Evidence from a South African birth cohort

Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy has been linked to adverse outcomes in children with evidence of sex-specific effects on brain development. Here, we investigated whether in utero exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), a particularly severe maternal stressor, is associated with brain structure in young infants from a South African birth cohort. Exposure to IPV during pregnancy was measured in 143 mothers at 28-32 weeks' gestation and infants underwent structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (mean age 3 weeks). Subcortical volumetric estimates were compared between IPV-exposed (n = 63; 52% female) and unexposed infants (n = 80; 48% female), with white matter microstructure also examined in a subsample (IPV-exposed, n = 28, 54% female; unexposed infants, n = 42, 40% female). In confound adjusted analyses, maternal IPV exposure was associated with sexually dimorphic effects in brain volumes: IPV exposure predicted a larger caudate nucleus among males but not females, and smaller amygdala among females but not males. Diffusivity alterations within white matter tracts of interest were evident in males, but not females exposed to IPV. Results were robust to the removal of mother-infant pairs with pregnancy complications. Further research is required to understand how these early alterations are linked to the sex-bias in neuropsychiatric outcomes later observed in IPV-exposed children.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy negatively affects brain volumes proportional to intracranial volume in adolescents born very preterm

Background

Maternal smoking during pregnancy has been shown to associate with smaller frontal lobe and cerebellar volumes in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term age in very preterm infants. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on volumetric brain MRI findings at 13 years. We hypothesized that adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy on brain volumes are still seen during adolescence.

Methods

Included adolescents were born very preterm (gestational age < 32 weeks and/or birth weight ≤ 1,500 g) between April 2004 and December 2006 at the Turku University Hospital, Finland. Information on maternal smoking status (yes or no) during pregnancy was collected from medical records and maternal questionnaires before discharge. Adolescents underwent volumetric brain MRI at 13 years of age. Image post-processing was performed with FreeSurfer. Regional volumes, cortical thickness, surface area, and curvature were computed from 33 cortical regions of interest (ROIs). Additionally, volumes were calculated for 18 subcortical regions, as well as for white matter, gray matter, and intracranial volume. We normalized quantified absolute volumes for head size by dividing volumes with corresponding intracranial volumes. false discovery rate (FDR) correction for multiple comparisons across regions was used.

Results

A total of 9/44 (21%) adolescents had been exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy. No statistically significant differences in absolute volumes were observed between the groups (p > 0.05). Regarding volumes proportional to intracranial volume, the adolescents in the exposed group exhibited smaller gray matter volumes in the inferotemporal (FDR corrected p = 0.022) and parahippocampal (p = 0.018) regions compared to the unexposed group. The surface area in the exposed group was also smaller in the parahippocampal (p = 0.046) and postcentral (p = 0.046) regions compared to the unexposed group. No statistically significant differences after correction for multiple comparisons were found for either curvature or cortical thickness between the groups.

Conclusion

Maternal smoking exposure during pregnancy may have long-term effects on brain volumes up to 13 years in adolescents born very preterm. Our findings emphasize the importance of smoking-free pregnancy.

Long-term impact of tobacco exposure during pregnancy on children's psychomotor development

BACKGROUND

Both active and second-hand smoking (SHS) can cause complications during pregnancy and after delivery. This study aimed to assess how tobacco exposure (active and passive) during the fetal period could impact the psychomotor development of children when they attain the age of 3-6 years.

METHODS

The study included 160 mothers and their 3-6 year-old children. Two research groups were set up of children born to active or SHS mothers during the period when they were pregnant and a control group of children of non-smoking mothers. The parameters of the psychomotor development of the children were measured using the Age & Stage Questionnaires 3® (ASQ-3).

RESULTS

Children, whose mothers were smokers themselves or who were exposed to SHS during the period of pregnancy had an average psychomotor development score of 221 points versus 243.5 points in the control group. Twenty-six percent had delays (near or under the cut-off scores) in one of the assessed psychomotor areas and 60% had two or more psychomotor delays; 36% of children whose mothers were not exposed to smoking during pregnancy had normal psychomotor development and only 34% presented multiple psychomotor delays.

CONCLUSIONS

Fetuses exposed to tobacco are more likely to achieve a psychomotor development in the 'monitor' and 'fail' areas compared to the non-exposed control group. The children exposed to smoking during their fetal development should be considered as a group at risk of developmental delays, therefore they should be closely monitored and supported by caregivers and developmental pediatricians.

Short Report: Exploring the extent to which Intellectual Disability is undiagnosed within children attending developmental paediatric clinics

Intellectual Disability is under-ascertained worldwide and is associated with greater physical and mental health difficulties. This research aimed to identify clinical features and characteristics of children with Intellectual Disability in a population of 126 6-18 year olds in mainstream school, attending paediatric developmental clinics. Intellectual Disability was defined according to the DSM-5 (deficits in intellectual and adaptive functioning, present during childhood). Measures used to assess this were WISC-IV IQ (score <70) and ABAS adaptive behaviour (score =<70). Clinical features were compared from a structured clinical records investigation and logistic regression explored which factors were associated with Intellectual Disability. Twenty-eight children (22%) met the criteria for Intellectual Disability. Five variables were associated with higher odds of having Intellectual Disability: no other neurodevelopmental diagnosis, multiple other health problems, prior genetic testing, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and parental unemployment. Routinely-collected paediatric data only predicted Intellectual Disability correctly in two out of five cases. Further research is needed to verify these findings and improve identification. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS?: Many children with Intellectual Disability, particularly a milder version, still reach adulthood without a diagnosis, despite evidence indicating that diagnosis is generally well received by children and families, and that early intervention leads to improvements in outcomes. This short report, based on a small sample of 126 children aged 6-18 in mainstream school who attended a paediatric development clinic in South East Scotland, provides tentative data on the clinical features and characteristics which are associated with Intellectual Disability. This tentative evidence suggests that the combination of a) having multiple concerns and investigations, alongside b) one or both parents being out of work (which may be related to familial undiagnosed Intellectual Disability), should raise a flag for paediatricians to further investigate the possibility of an Intellectual Disability diagnosis among these children and young people. Further research with larger samples is needed to explore this more robustly, with the potential to create an algorithm to highlight to paediatricians cases requiring formal screening for Intellectual Disability.

The impact of maternal smoking during pregnancy on hemostatic profile of neonates using thromboelastometry (ROTEM). A pilot observational study

INTRODUCTION

In adults, the negative effect of smoking on hemostasis has been well established. Contrarily, data regarding the hemostatic status of neonates exposed to tobacco during pregnancy are limited. This study aimed to investigate the influence of antenatal tobacco exposure on the hemostatic profile of neonates using Thromboelastometry (ROTEM).

METHODS

This observational study included 92 healthy full-term neonates born in the maternity department of our hospital over a 5-year period. The neonates were categorized in 2 groups: neonates born to mothers who reported smoking during the entire pregnancy and neonates born to non-smoking mothers. Neonates were matched 1:1 with regards to gestational age, delivery mode, and gender. ROTEM EXTEM assay was performed on the 2nd-3rd day of life and clotting time (CT); clot formation time (CFT); clot amplitude recorded at 10 and 30 min (A10, A30); a angle (a^o); maximum clot firmness (MCF, mm); lysis index at 30 and 60 min (LI30, LI60, %); maximum clot elasticity (MCE), were measured.

RESULTS

Neonates with antenatal exposure to tobacco had shorter CT (p < 0.001) and CFT (p = 0.035), higher A10 (p = 0.043), A30 (p = 0.028) and MCE (p = 0.028) compared to those not exposed to tobacco during pregnancy. The multivariable regression analysis adjusted for gestational age, gender, birth weight and delivery mode showed that maternal tobacco use during pregnancy is associated with an accelerated activation of coagulation in neonates expressed by shorter EXTEM CT values (coefficient: -8.68, 95%,CI: -13.51--3.85, p = 0.001) while no association was found with the remaining ROTEM parameters.

DISCUSSION

Smoking during pregnancy results in a hypercoagulable profile of neonates, expressed by shorter ROTEM CT. Antenatal exposure to tobacco appears to be an aggravating factor for the hemostatic status of neonates.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring intellectual disability: sibling analysis in an intergenerational Danish cohort

BACKGROUND

Maternal smoking has known adverse effects on fetal development. However, research on the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring intellectual disability (ID) is limited, and whether any associations are due to a causal effect or residual confounding is unknown.

METHOD

Cohort study of all Danish births between 1995 and 2012 (1 066 989 persons from 658 335 families after exclusions), with prospectively recorded data for cohort members, parents and siblings. We assessed the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy (18.6% exposed, collected during prenatal visits) and offspring ID (8051 cases, measured using ICD-10 diagnosis codes F70-F79) using logistic generalised estimating equation regression models. Models were adjusted for confounders including measures of socio-economic status and parental psychiatric diagnoses and were adjusted for family averaged exposure between full siblings. Adjustment for a family averaged exposure allows calculation of the within-family effect of smoking on child outcomes which is robust against confounders that are shared between siblings.

RESULTS

We found increased odds of ID among those exposed to maternal smoking in pregnancy after confounder adjustment (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.28-1.42) which attenuated to a null effect following adjustment for family averaged exposure (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.78-1.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings are inconsistent with a causal effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on offspring ID risk. By estimating a within-family effect, our results suggest that prior associations were the result of unmeasured genetic or environmental characteristics of families in which the mother smokes during pregnancy.

New theory about the pathophysiology of preeclampsia derived from the paradox of positive effects of maternal smoking

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate if maternal height affects the link between the inverse association on smoking during pregnancy and preeclampsia.

STUDY DESIGN

The study population consisted of all women with singleton pregnancies (n = 803 698) in Finland during the years 2004-2018, excluding women with unknown smoking and diagnosis of prepregnancy chronic hypertension. Information on smoking and background factors were derived from the Finnish Medical Birth Register. Smoking was categorized in three classes: no, quitted in the first trimester and continued throughout the pregnancy. Information on preeclampsia was derived from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register and the Finnish Medical Birth Register. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate first the association between smoking and preeclampsia, and finally whether maternal height modified the association.

RESULTS

In the standard comparison, we found evidence of an association between preeclampsia and continued smoking [adjusted odds ratio = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.67-0.81], but no association was found between quitted smoking and preeclampsia. Thus, the interaction of continued smoking and maternal height by z-scores was estimated. Among taller mothers, continued smoking was associated with a higher risk for preeclampsia than in smoking mothers with average height (β = 0.33, SE = 0.14, P  = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Our results partly challenge the smoking-preeclampsia paradox: smoking seems not to protect tall mothers against preeclampsia. We speculate the findings through a new theory about the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. It seems that tall pregnant smokers must raise their blood pressure aggressively to ensure perfusion in the dysfunctional placenta.

Maternal tobacco smoking and offspring autism spectrum disorder or traits in ECHO cohorts

Given inconsistent evidence on preconception or prenatal tobacco use and offspring autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this study assessed associations of maternal smoking with ASD and ASD-related traits. Among 72 cohorts in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes consortium, 11 had ASD diagnosis and prenatal tobaccosmoking (n = 8648). and 7 had Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores of ASD traits (n = 2399). Cohorts had diagnoses alone (6), traits alone (2), or both (5). Diagnoses drew from parent/caregiver report, review of records, or standardized instruments. Regression models estimated smoking-related odds ratios (ORs) for diagnoses and standardized mean differences for SRS scores. Cohort-specific ORs were meta-analyzed. Overall, maternal smoking was unassociated with child ASD (adjusted OR, 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-1.61). However, heterogeneity across studies was strong: preterm cohorts showed reduced ASD risk for exposed children. After excluding preterm cohorts (biased by restrictions on causal intermediate and exposure opportunity) and small cohorts (very few ASD cases in either smoking category), the adjusted OR for ASD from maternal smoking was 1.44 (95% CI, 1.02-2.03). Children of smoking (versus non-smoking) mothers had more ASD traits (SRS T-score + 2.37 points, 95% CI, 0.73-4.01 points), with results homogeneous across cohorts. Maternal preconception/prenatal smoking was consistently associated with quantitative ASD traits and modestly associated with ASD diagnosis among sufficiently powered United States cohorts of non-preterm children. Limitations resulting from self-reported smoking and unmeasured confounders preclude definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, counseling on potential and known risks to the child from maternal smoking is warranted for pregnant women and pregnancy planners. LAY SUMMARY: Evidence on the association between maternal prenatal smoking and the child's risk for autism spectrum disorder has been conflicting, with some studies reporting harmful effects, and others finding reduced risks. Our analysis of children in the ECHO consortium found that maternal prenatal tobacco smoking is consistently associated with an increase in autism-related symptoms in the general population and modestly associated with elevated risk for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder when looking at a combined analysis from multiple studies that each included both pre- and full-term births. However, this study is not proof of a causal connection. Future studies to clarify the role of smoking in autism-like behaviors or autism diagnoses should collect more reliable data on smoking and measure other exposures or lifestyle factors that might have confounded our results.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and children's mental health at age 22 years: Results of a birth cohort study

BACKGROUND

Early exposures such as maternal smoking can be associated mental disorders. We aimed to analyze the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and depression in the 1993 birth cohort (Pelotas, Brazil).

METHODS

Data on maternal smoking were collected in the perinatal study, while information on GAD and depression was collected at age 22 years using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Information on maternal mental health, the mediator, was collected at the 11-year follow-up. Simple and multiple logistic regressions were used to assess the association between exposure, outcomes, and analysis of negative controls.

RESULTS

3,781 participants presented complete data. The incidence of GAD was 10.4%, depression 2.9%, and smoking during pregnancy 32.6%. The children of mothers who smoked had a 45% higher chance of developing GAD at age 22 years (OR 1.45; 95%CI 1.18; 1.80) and 75% higher chance of depression (OR 1.75; 95%CI 1.18; 2.59). Also, the higher the number of cigarettes smoked. the higher was the chance for the development of GAD. Paternal smoking was not associated with the outcomes. The mother's mental health accounted for 18.2% of the association between maternal smoking and GAD, and for 13.4% for maternal smoking and depression.

LIMITATIONS

Data for smoking during pregnancy were collected through a self-report. Residual confusion due to important variables cannot be ruled out.

CONCLUSIONS

MSDP was associated with the mental health of children in early adulthood. However, a small part of the effect found was mediated by the mother's mental health.

Parental smoking and young adult offspring psychosis, depression and anxiety disorders and substance use disorder

Background

To study the associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy and paternal smoking before pregnancy and adult offspring psychiatric disorders.

Methods

Prospective general population cohort study in Northern Finland, with people from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986: 7259 subjects (77% of the original sample). Data on parental smoking were collected from parents during pregnancy using questionnaires. Outcomes were offspring’s register-based diagnoses: any psychiatric disorder, any non-organic psychosis, mood disorder, anxiety disorder and substance use disorder (SUD) until the age of 29–30 years. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and paternal smoking before pregnancy were pooled to three-class variables: (i) none; (ii) 1–9 and (iii) ≥10 cigarettes/day. Information regarding both parents’ alcohol use during pregnancy and at offspring age 15–16 years, maternal education level, family structure, parental psychiatric diagnoses and offspring gender, smoking, intoxication frequency and illicit substance use at the age of 15–16 years were investigated as covariates.

Results

In the multivariable analyses, maternal smoking during pregnancy did not associate with the studied outcomes after adjusting for offspring smoking and other substance use at offspring age 15–16 years and parental psychiatric disorders. However, paternal smoking ≥10 cigarettes/day before pregnancy [hazard ratio (HR) = 5.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7–11.2, P < 0.001] and paternal psychiatric disorders (HR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.1–2.8, P = 0.028) associated with offspring SUD after adjustments.

Conclusions

Information across the offspring life course is essential in exploring the association between parental smoking and offspring psychiatric disorders. Paternal smoking before pregnancy and paternal psychiatric disorders may act as modifiers in elevating the risk of substance-use-related problems among offspring.

Comparing Levels of Urinary Phthalate Metabolites in Egyptian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Healthy Control Children: Referring to Sources of Phthalate Exposure

Background: Evidence supporting environmental risk factors of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rising. Phthalates are assumed to contribute to this risk due to their extensive use in daily life as plasticizers and additives in numerous customer products. Phthalates are also accused as a neurotoxic agent affecting brain development. Aim: The main objective of this study is to compare the concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites as biomarkers of phthalate exposure in children with autism to that of a healthy control group and to compare their exposure to suspected environmental sources of phthalate. Methods: It was a case-control study; conducted over a period of one year. Thirty-eight children with ASD and 99 apparently healthy children comprised the control group, were enrolled in the study. Urinary concentrations of four phthalate metabolites were measured, using a combination of solid phase extraction, high pressure liquid chromatography, and tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Children with ASD comprised 38 children (32 boys and 6 girls), their mean age was 8.95 + 4.17 years. There were significant higher levels of urinary Mono (2ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), mono benzyl, and mono butyl phthalates in cases vs. controls with p value equals (0.006, 0.017 and <0.001) respectively. Regression analysis revealed that male gender and the level of mono butyl are the main predictors of ASD (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study suggested a link between phthalates and ASD with higher urinary levels of phthalate metabolites in children with ASD. These high levels are either due to increased exposure or defective metabolism in children with ASD. The study declined any relationship of the studied sources of phthalate exposure to ASD except the exposure to wall painting with plastic.

Smoking status: A tacit screen for postpartum depression in primary care settings

BACKGROUND

Universal screening for postpartum depression (PPD) remains an unachieved national priority. A tacit screen that requires no additional resources for administration can help to achieve this priority. We examine the predictive utility of using smoking as a tacit screen for PDD. We first establish smoking is a valid proxy for more prominent psychosocial determinants of PPD and is a predictor for PPD.

METHODS

We analyzed PRAMS data (2012-2015; N=134,435). Time of smoking was categorized as nonsmoker, during the prenatal period, the postpartum, or continuously; PPD was assessed using two PHQ-2 style questions.

RESULTS

Compared to nonsmokers, women who smoked only during the prenatal period (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.06 - 1.86), only during the postpartum (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.18 - 1.49), and continuously throughout both periods (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.41 - 1.69) were more likely to experience PPD. Smoking assessed at a prenatal visit (SN: 0.90, SP: 0.21), postpartum visit (SN: 0.86, SP: 0.25), or assessed at both visits (SN: 0.90, SP: 0.19) performed relatively well as a tacit screen for PPD, performing better among unmarried women (SN: 0.75 - 0.81; SP: 0.29 - 0.36).

LIMITATIONS

In this study, the criterion of positivity used was PRAMS' adapted version of the PHQ-2. This tacit screen may perform differently relative to a clinical diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Time of smoking predicts risk of PPD and can be used to tacitly screen for PPD with reasonable accuracy without requiring any additional time in settings with limited resources for routine screening of PPD.

DNA methylome perturbations: an epigenetic basis for the emergingly heritable neurodevelopmental abnormalities associated with maternal smoking and maternal nicotine exposure†

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with an ensemble of neurodevelopmental consequences in children and therefore constitutes a pressing public health concern. Adding to this burden, contemporary epidemiological and especially animal model research suggests that grandmaternal smoking is similarly associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities in grandchildren, indicative of intergenerational transmission of the neurodevelopmental impacts of maternal smoking. Probing the mechanistic bases of neurodevelopmental anomalies in the children of maternal smokers and the intergenerational transmission thereof, emerging research intimates that epigenetic changes, namely DNA methylome perturbations, are key factors. Altogether, these findings warrant future research to fully elucidate the etiology of neurodevelopmental impairments in the children and grandchildren of maternal smokers and underscore the clear potential thereof to benefit public health by informing the development and implementation of preventative measures, prophylactics, and treatments. To this end, the present review aims to encapsulate the burgeoning evidence linking maternal smoking to intergenerational epigenetic inheritance of neurodevelopmental abnormalities, to identify the strengths and weaknesses thereof, and to highlight areas of emphasis for future human and animal model research therein.

Design of a prospective follow-up study on early parenthood and smoking behaviour during pregnancy in Finnish primary healthcare

Aims: The primary aim of the study is to explore different factors affecting parents’ smoking behaviour, and especially how smoking may be connected with individual differences in the psychological process of becoming a parent. In the current paper, we present the study design together with basic information on the study population. Methods: The Central Satakunta Maternity and Child Health Clinic (KESALATU) Study is an ongoing prospective follow-up study in primary healthcare of the Satakunta region of southwest Finland. Families were recruited during their first maternity clinic visit between 1 September 2016 and 31 December 2019, and participation will continue until the child is 1.5 years of age. The study combines different sources and types of data: e.g. routine data obtained from primary healthcare clinic records, specific parental self-report data and data from a new exhaled carbon monoxide meter indicating maternal smoking. The data are collected using frequently repeated assessments both during pregnancy and postnatally. The methods cover the following areas of interest: family background factors (including smoking and alcohol use), self-reported parental–foetal/infant attachment and mentalization, self-reported stress, depression and quality of life. Results: 589 pregnant women and their partners were asked to participate in the study during the collection time period. The final study population consisted of 248 (42.1%) pregnant women and 160 (27.1%) partners. Conclusions: The new methods and study design have the potential to increase our understanding about the link between early parenting psychology, prenatal psychosocial risk factors and parental health behaviour.

Effect of Grandmaternal Smoking on Body Size and Proportions at Birth

Many long-term adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy are known. Increasingly, adverse effects in the grandchild after grandmaternal smoking during pregnancy are reported. We explored this in a birth cohort of 24,000 grandmother–mother–child triads identified from the Finnish Medical Birth Register in 1991–2016. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between any smoking during pregnancy by both grandmother and mother, or only grandmother or mother on adverse birth outcomes. No smoking by neither grandmother nor mother was used as the reference. As endpoints, preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age (birth weight, birth length, head circumference), and body proportionality (low ponderal index, high brain-to-body ratio, high head-to-length ratio) were included. Smoking by both grandmother and mother was consistently associated with higher risks than smoking only by the mother. Birth length and weight were especially sensitive to (grand)maternal smoking. In conclusion, the combined effect of grandmaternal and maternal smoking is associated with higher risks than only maternal smoking.

Maternal Prenatal Smoking and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Offspring: A California Statewide Cohort and Sibling Study

We examined associations between maternal smoking and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children in a statewide population-based cohort and sibling-comparison design using California birth records (n = 2,015,104) with information on maternal smoking, demographic factors, and pregnancy (2007-2010). ASD cases (n = 11,722) were identified through California Department of Developmental Services records with diagnoses based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR. We estimated odds ratios for ASD with and without intellectual disability in the full cohort using logistic regression and in a sibling comparison using conditional logistic regression. In the full cohort, the adjusted odds ratio for ASD and maternal smoking 3 months before/during pregnancy compared with nonsmoking was 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04, 1.26), and it was similar in cases with (odds ratio = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.84, 1.49) and without intellectual disability (odds ratio = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.27). Heavy prenatal smoking (≥20 cigarettes/day in any trimester) was related to an odds ratio of 1.55 (95% CI: 1.21, 1.98). In the sibling comparison, the odds ratio for heavy smoking was similarly elevated but the confidence interval was wide. Our findings are consistent with an increased risk for ASD in offspring of mothers who smoked ≥20 cigarettes/day during pregnancy; associations with lighter smoking were weaker.

Alcohol and Tobacco use While Breastfeeding and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Research has linked prenatal alcohol and tobacco use with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and variably with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Lactational use has been scantly considered. This study examined whether it may alter ADHD or ASD risk. Participants were 5107 infants recruited in 2004 and assessed longitudinally for the Growing Up in Australia Study. Logistic regression did not find any associations between maternal alcohol and tobacco use while breastfeeding and ADHD or ASD diagnosis at ages 6–7 or 10–11 years. Alcohol and tobacco use during lactation may not increase ADHD or ASD risk. Abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, however, may still be the safest option. Analyses were limited by lack of alcohol timing and retrospective variables that future research should address.

The impact of (ab)normal maternal environment on cortical development

The cortex in the mammalian brain is the most complex brain region that integrates sensory information and coordinates motor and cognitive processes. To perform such functions, the cortex contains multiple subtypes of neurons that are generated during embryogenesis. Newly born neurons migrate to their proper location in the cortex, grow axons and dendrites, and form neuronal circuits. These developmental processes in the fetal brain are regulated to a large extent by a great variety of factors derived from the mother - starting from simple nutrients as building blocks and ending with hormones. Thus, when the normal maternal environment is disturbed due to maternal infection, stress, malnutrition, or toxic substances, it might have a profound impact on cortical development and the offspring can develop a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we first describe the major developmental processes which generate neuronal diversity in the cortex. We then review our knowledge of how most common maternal insults affect cortical development, perturb neuronal circuits, and lead to neurodevelopmental disorders. We further present a concept of selective vulnerability of cortical neuronal subtypes to maternal-derived insults, where the vulnerability of cortical neurons and their progenitors to an insult depends on the time (developmental period), place (location in the developing brain), and type (unique features of a cell type and an insult). Finally, we provide evidence for the existence of selective vulnerability during cortical development and identify the most vulnerable neuronal types, stages of differentiation, and developmental time for major maternal-derived insults.

Nicotinic Receptors in the Brainstem Ascending Arousal System in SIDS With Analysis of Pre-natal Exposures to Maternal Smoking and Alcohol in High-Risk Populations of the Safe Passage Study

Pre-natal exposures to nicotine and alcohol are known risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of post-neonatal infant mortality. Here, we present data on nicotinic receptor binding, as determined by 125I-epibatidine receptor autoradiography, in the brainstems of infants dying of SIDS and of other known causes of death collected from the Safe Passage Study, a prospective, multicenter study with clinical sites in Cape Town, South Africa and 5 United States sites, including 2 American Indian Reservations. We examined 15 pons and medulla regions related to cardiovascular control and arousal in infants dying of SIDS (n = 12) and infants dying from known causes (n = 20, 10 pre-discharge from time of birth, 10 post-discharge). Overall, there was a developmental decrease in 125I-epibatidine binding with increasing postconceptional age in 5 medullary sites [raphe obscurus, gigantocellularis, paragigantocellularis, centralis, and dorsal accessory olive (p = 0.0002-0.03)], three of which are nuclei containing serotonin cells. Comparing SIDS with post-discharge known cause of death (post-KCOD) controls, we found significant decreased binding in SIDS in the nucleus pontis oralis (p = 0.02), a critical component of the cholinergic ascending arousal system of the rostral pons (post-KCOD, 12.1 ± 0.9 fmol/mg and SIDS, 9.1 ± 0.78 fmol/mg). In addition, we found an effect of maternal smoking in SIDS (n = 11) combined with post-KCOD controls (n = 8) on the raphe obscurus (p = 0.01), gigantocellularis (p = 0.02), and the paragigantocellularis (p = 0.002), three medullary sites found in this study to have decreased binding with age and found in previous studies to have abnormal indices of serotonin neurotransmission in SIDS infants. At these sites, 125I-epibatidine binding increased with increasing cigarettes per week. We found no effect of maternal drinking on 125I-epibatidine binding at any site measured. Taken together, these data support changes in nicotinic receptor binding related to development, cause of death, and exposure to maternal cigarette smoking. These data present new evidence in a prospective study supporting the roles of developmental factors, as well as adverse exposure on nicotinic receptors, in serotonergic nuclei of the rostral medulla-a finding that highlights the interwoven and complex relationship between acetylcholine (via nicotinic receptors) and serotonergic neurotransmission in the medulla.

The Triad Mother-Breast Milk-Infant as Predictor of Future Health: A Narrative Review

The benefits of human milk for both mother and infant are widely acknowledged. Human milk could represent a link between maternal and offspring health. The triad mother-breast milk-infant is an interconnected system in which maternal diet and lifestyle might have effects on infant's health outcome. This link could be in part explained by epigenetics, even if the underlining mechanisms have not been fully clarified yet. The aim of this paper is to update the association between maternal diet and human milk, pointing out how maternal diet and lifestyle could be associated with breast-milk composition, hence with offspring's health outcome.

Disruptive Behavior in Siblings Discordant for Exposure to Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy: A Multi-rater Approach

INTRODUCTION

Maternal smoking during pregnancy (SDP) is associated with disruptive behavior. However, there is debate whether the SDP-disruptive behavior association is a potentially causal pathway or rather a spurious effect confounded by shared genetic and environmental factors.

AIMS AND METHODS

The Missouri Mothers and Their Children Study is a sibling comparison study that includes families (n = 173) selected for sibling pairs (aged 7-16 years) discordant for SDP. Critically, the sibling comparison design is used to disentangle the effects of SDP from familial confounds on disruptive behavior. An SDP severity score was created for each child using a combination of SDP indicators (timing, duration, and amount of SDP). Multiple informants (parents and teachers) reported on disruptive behavior (i.e., DSM-IV semi-structured interview, the Child Behavior Checklist, and Teacher Report Form).

RESULTS

The variability in disruptive behavior was primarily a function of within-family differences (66%-100%). Consistent with prior genetically informed approaches, the SDP-disruptive behavior association was primarily explained by familial confounds (genetic and environmental). However, when using a multi-rater approach (parents and teachers), results suggest a potentially causal effect of SDP on disruptive behavior (b = 0.09, SE = 0.04, p = 0.03). The potentially causal effect of SDP remained significant in sensitivity analyses.

DISCUSSION

These findings suggest that familial confounding likely plays a complex role in the SDP-disruptive behavior association when examining both parent and teacher reports of behavior. Importantly, the current study highlights the importance of multiple raters, reflecting a more comprehensive measure of complex behaviors (e.g., disruptive behavior) to examine the teratogenic effects of SDP.

IMPLICATIONS

Our study provides additional evidence that controlling for genetic and family factors is essential when examining the effect of SDP on later behavioral problems, as it explains a portion of the association between SDP and later behavioral problems. However, we found a significant association between SDP and disruptive behavior when using a multi-rater approach that capitalizes on both parent and teacher report, suggesting that parent and teacher ratings capture a unique perspective that is important to consider when examining SDP-behavior associations.

Migraine in children and adults born preterm: A nationwide register linkage study

OBJECTIVE

Being born preterm is related to adverse health effects later in life. We studied whether preterm birth predicts the risk of migraine.

METHODS

In this nationwide register study, we linked data from six administrative registers for all 235,624 children live-born in Finland (January 1987 to September 1990) and recorded in the Finnish Medical Birth Register. n = 228,610 (97.0%) had adequate data and were included. Migraine served as primary outcome variable and was stringently defined as a diagnosis from specialised health care and/or ≥2 reimbursed purchases of triptans. We applied sex- and birth year-stratified Cox proportional hazard regression models to compute hazard ratios and confidence intervals (95% confidence intervals) for the association between preterm categories and migraine. The cohort was followed up until an average age of 25.1 years (range: 23.3-27.0).

RESULTS

Among individuals born extremely preterm (23-27 completed weeks of gestation), the adjusted hazard ratios for migraine was 0.55 (0.25-1.24) when compared with the full-term reference group (39-41 weeks). The corresponding adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the other preterm categories were: Very preterm (28-31 weeks); 0.95 (0.68-1.31), moderately preterm (32-33 weeks); 0.96 (0.73-1.27), late preterm (34-36 weeks); 1.01 (0.91-1.11), early term (37-38 weeks); 0.98 (0.93-1.03), and post term (42 weeks); 0.98 (0.89-1.08). Migraine was predicted by parental migraine, lower socioeconomic position, maternal hypertensive disorder and maternal smoking during pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

We found no evidence for a higher risk of migraine among individuals born preterm.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Breastfeeding Duration Influence the Composition and Dynamics of Gut Microbiota in Young Children Aged 0-2 Years

The colonization characteristics of infant gut microbiota are influenced by many factors at various stages, but few studies have explored the longitudinal effects of environmental tobacco smoke exposure and quantitative breastfeeding duration on young children' gut microbiota. We explored the effects of smoke exposure and breastfeeding duration on gut microbiota by following 37 maternal and children pairs in China for 2 years. We collected the demographic information, frequency of smoke exposure, breastfeeding duration, and fecal samples (mothers in the late pregnancy and infants at 6, 12, and 24 months), and analyzed the microbiota results using the V3-V4 gene sequence of 16S rRNA. The diversity of gut microbiota in children was the highest at 24 months and most similar to that in mothers. Breastfeeding duration was positively correlated with Lactobacillus and negatively correlated with Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1. The α diversity of microbiota and the relative abundance of [Ruminococcus]_gnavus_group was higher in the non-smoke exposed group. The higher the smoke exposure, the higher the relative abundance of Megasphaera. Prolonged breastfeeding and reduced smoke exposure are beneficial to the diversity and composition of gut microbiota in young children.

Maternal health behaviors during pregnancy in rural Northwestern China

Background

Maternal health during pregnancy is a key input in fetal health and child development. This study aims to systematically describe the health behaviors of pregnant women in rural China and identify which subgroups of women are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors during pregnancy.

Methods

We surveyed 1088 pregnant women in rural northwestern China on exposure to unhealthy substances, nutritional behaviors, the timing and frequency of antenatal care, and demographic characteristics.

Results

Pregnant women were active in seeking antenatal care and had low rates of alcohol consumption (5.1%), exposure to toxins (4.8%), and exposure to radiation (2.9%). However, tobacco exposure was widespread (40.3%), as was low dietary diversity (61.8%), unhealthy weight gain (59.7%), unhealthy pre-pregnancy BMI (29.7%), and no folic acid intake (17.1%). Maternal education is closely linked to better health behaviors, whereas experience with a previous pregnancy is not.

Conclusions

Tobacco exposure and unhealthy nutritional behaviors are common among pregnant women in rural northwestern China. The findings indicate that in the absence of professional health information, relying on experience of previous pregnancies alone may not help rural women avoid unhealthy maternal behaviors. Maternal health education campaigns targeting nutrition and tobacco exposure during pregnancy may improve maternal, fetal, and child health in rural China.

Maternal Smoking and Hospital Treatment During Pregnancy

INTRODUCTION

Previous research suggests that young maternal age, smoking, hospitalization during a previous pregnancy, and poor self-rated health could be risk factors for prenatal hospitalization.

METHODS

The objective of this retrospective observational register study was to investigate if maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with mother's need for hospital treatment during pregnancy. The study population consists of all singleton pregnancies (n = 961 127) in 1999-2015 in Finland. Information on maternal smoking was received from the Medical Birth Register in three classes: nonsmoker, quit smoking in the first trimester, and continued smoking throughout the pregnancy. These data were linked with the Hospital Discharge Register data and analyzed according to ICD-10 chapters.

RESULTS

10.7% of women continued to smoke after the first trimester. After adjusting for confounding factors women in both smoking groups had more hospital treatment compared with nonsmokers. Especially outpatient treatment was more common among mothers who continued to smoke compared to those who quit smoking in the first trimester in several ICD-10 chapters. Compared to non-smokers, aOR for mental and behavioral disorders (F00-F99) was 2.14 (95% confidence interval 2.00-2.30) in the quit smoking group and 3.88 (3.71-4.06) in the continued smoking group. Similarly, aOR for respiratory diseases (J00-J99) was 1.26 (1.15-1.39) and 1.61 (1.52-1.71), respectively and aOR for genitourinary diseases (N00-N99) was 1.10 (1.03-1.17) and 1.29 (1.23-1.35), respectively. Some similar findings were made also in inpatient care. Some similar findings were made also in inpatient care.

CONCLUSIONS

Women who smoke during pregnancy seem to require more hospital care for various reasons. These findings emphasize the importance of actions for smoking cessation during pregnancy and women should be encouraged to quit as early as possible.

IMPLICATIONS

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with greater rates of both outpatient and inpatient hospital care during pregnancy. Women who quit smoking had a similar risk for hospital care during pregnancy with nonsmokers in certain diagnosis chapters, which is very motivational and could be used as an informational tool in prenatal clinics to encourage smoking cessation as it is never too late to quit smoking during pregnancy.

The effects of prenatal cigarette and e-cigarette exposure on infant neurobehaviour: A comparison to a control group

BACKGROUND

Infant neurobehaviour provides an insight into the development of the central nervous system during infancy, with behavioural abnormalities highlighting a cause for concern. Research has demonstrated that prenatal exposure to cigarettes leads to deficits within neurobehavioural development, along with negative birth outcomes detrimental to subsequent development. With the growing use of e-cigarettes amongst pregnant women, this study explores how prenatal e-cigarette exposure compares to prenatal cigarette exposure.

METHODS

Eighty-three infants were involved in the study, either exposed prenatally to cigarettes or e-cigarettes or not exposed to either. Differences were assessed between these three groups for birth outcomes and scores on the Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale (NBAS) at one month of age.

FINDINGS

Both cigarette and e-cigarette exposed infants had a significantly greater number of abnormal reflexes (p = ·001; p  =  ·002). For both self-regulation and motor maturity, cigarette exposed infants performed significantly worse (p = ·010; p = ·002), with e-cigarette exposed infants having decreased motor maturity (p = ·036) abilities and marginally decreased for self-regulation (p = ·057). Birth outcomes, namely birthweight, gestation and head circumference, did not differ for e-cigarette exposed infants compared with infants who were not prenatally exposed to nicotine. Cigarette exposed infants had a significantly lower birthweight (p = ·021) and reduced head circumference (p = ·008) in comparison to non-exposed infants.

INTERPRETATION

To our knowledge, this is the first research study assessing a neurological outcome as a result of e-cigarette exposure. Findings of this have potentially important implications for public health policies regarding the safety and use of e-cigarettes throughout pregnancy.

FUNDING

This research was funded by a doctoral training partnership scholarship via the ESRC, ES/P000762/1.

The Effect of Smoking during Pregnancy on Severity and Directionality of Externalizing and Internalizing Symptoms: A Genetically Informed Approach

The objective was to examine the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy (SDP) and (I) severity and (II) directionality of externalizing and internalizing symptoms in a sample of sibling pairs while rigorously controlling for familial confounds. The Missouri Mothers and Their Children Study is a family study (N = 173 families) with sibling pairs (aged 7 to 16 years) who are discordant for exposure to SDP. This sibling comparison study is designed to disentangle the effects of SDP from familial confounds. An SDP severity score was created for each child using a combination of SDP indicators (timing, duration, and amount). Principal component analysis of externalizing and internalizing behavior, assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher Report Form, was used to create symptom severity and directionality scores. The variance in severity and directionality scores was primarily a function of differences between siblings (71% and 85%, respectively) rather than differences across families (29% and 15%, respectively). The severity score that combines externalizing and internalizing symptom severity was not associated with SDP. However, a significant within-family effect of SDP on symptom directionality (b = 0.07, p = 0.04) was observed in the sibling comparison model. The positive directionality score indicates that SDP is associated with differentiation of symptoms towards externalizing rather than internalizing symptoms after controlling for familial confounds with a sibling comparison model. This supports a potentially causal relationship between SDP and externalizing behavior.

Gestational Smoking and Hypertension as Predictors of Working Memory Functioning in Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting between 5 and 8% of all children and adolescents, characterized by impairing levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Existing cognitive models of ADHD have placed working memory (WM) deficits at the core of ADHD and suggest that primary WM deficits may also underlie the additional deficits associated with the condition. Although not all children with ADHD show WM deficits, those with such deficits have been found to have worse functional outcomes when compared to their diagnosed peers with typical WM functioning. Even so, contributors to the variability of impaired WM functioning seen within this population remain unknown. In the present study, we examined the association between two known prenatal and perinatal risk factors for impaired cognitive functioning - gestational smoking and hypertension - in three independent samples of children and adolescents with ADHD (samples varied with respect to sample size and WM measurement procedures). Contrary to hypotheses and existing literature, presence of high blood pressure during pregnancy was unexpectedly found to be a positive predictor of offspring WM capacity in one of three samples (a sample of all girls with ADHD). Implications and considerations for future research are discussed.

Maternal cigarette use during pregnancy and school readiness: An analysis of preschool age children in São Paulo, Brazil

BACKGROUND

Barriers to early childhood development (ECD) are a global concern. Limited research exists on prenatal smoking and ECD in vulnerable populations, especially as it relates to school readiness (SR).

AIMS

To examine how maternal cigarette use during pregnancy is associated with SR in a sample of Brazilian preschool-age children.

STUDY DESIGN

We used the Brazilian Preschool Mental Health Study, a cross-sectional, epidemiological study of preschool-age children in Embu das Artes, São Paulo. SR was assessed using the Engle Scale of Child Development (ESCD). We restricted analyses to biological mothers, who represented 81.9% (n = 591) of the total 722 with ESCD data. Logistic regression models, adjusting for birth and child characteristics (year of preschool, sex, race, history of head trauma, coma, convulsions or epilepsy), sociodemographic factors and school environment, were used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

Prenatal smoking was negatively associated with SR. Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy were more likely to be in the lowest ESCD quartile (aOR = 1.26, 95%CI: [1.02-1.55]) compared to those of non-smoking mothers, and each cigarette resulted in additional risk (aOR = 1.03, 95%CI:[1.01-1.05]). Children of heavy smokers had worse ESCD scores compared to children of non-smokers (aOR = 1.69, 95%CI:[1.18-2.44]), as well as when compared to children of moderate and non-smokers combined (aOR = 1.77, 95%CI:[1.22-2.57]). This relationship was not seen when comparing children of moderate smokers to children of non-smokers. Inferences were robust when examining very heavy smoking.

CONCLUSION

Maternal tobacco use during pregnancy may affect child SR. Additional studies in other populations are needed to corroborate these results.

Linear growth and mid-childhood cognitive outcomes in three birth cohorts of term-born children: an approach to integrating three growth models to explore critical windows

OBJECTIVE

To illustrate that a mediation framework can help integrate inferences from three growth models to enable a comprehensive view of the associations between growth during specific developmental windows and mid-childhood IQ.

DESIGN

We analysed direct and indirect associations between mid-childhood IQ and length/height growth in five early-life age intervals bounded by conception, birth, early, mid and late infancy, and mid-childhood using estimates from three growth models (lifecourse, conditional change and change score) applied to three historical birth cohorts.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

12 088 term-born children from the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP) in the USA (n=2170), the Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT) in Belarus (n=8275) and the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS) in the Philippines (n=1643).

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE

Mid-childhood IQ.

RESULTS

Our analyses revealed cross-cohort and cross-interval variations in the direct and indirect effects of foetal and early childhood physical growth on mid-childhood IQ. For example, in CPP, there was a direct association of prenatal growth with IQ that was not evident in the other cohorts, whereas in PROBIT and CLHNS, we observed that foetal and early growth-IQ associations were mediated through size in later periods.

CONCLUSION

Lifecourse, conditional change and change score growth models yield complementary inferences when appropriately interpreted. Future longitudinal studies of associations of early-life growth with later outcomes would benefit from adopting a causal mediation framework to integrate inferences from multiple complementary growth models.

Prenatal risk and physical aggression during the first years of life: The gender-specific role of inhibitory control

Prenatal risk and a lack of inhibitory control have consistently been related to the development of physical aggression in older children. This study examined whether inhibitory control mediated the relation between prenatal risk and aggression in infants and toddlers. The role of gender in this mediation model was also examined. The sample consisted of 161 mother-child dyads (83 boys). A prenatal cumulative risk score was created from a number of well-established risk factors including maternal psychopathology, substance use, and social and socioeconomic disadvantages. At 12 months, children performed an inhibitory control task. Physical aggression was assessed through maternal reports at 12 and 20 months of age. Results showed that higher prenatal risk was associated with more physical aggression. Inhibitory control mediated this association at both 12 and 20 months: higher prenatal risk was related to lower inhibitory control, which in turn led to higher aggression. At 20 months, gender moderated the mediation effect: the mediating role of inhibitory control was only found for girls. These results suggest that even before 2 years of age, inhibitory control is an important construct involved in the relation between prenatal risk and physical aggression.