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Wiegersma AM, Boots A, Langendam MW, Limpens J, Shenkin SD, Korosi A, Roseboom TJ, de Rooij SR. Do prenatal factors shape the risk for dementia?: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence for the prenatal origins of dementia. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2023:10.1007/s00127-023-02471-7. [PMID: 37029828 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-023-02471-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Prenatal factors such as maternal stress, infection and nutrition affect fetal brain development and may also influence later risk for dementia. The purpose of this systematic review was to provide an overview of all studies which investigated the association between prenatal factors and later risk for dementia. METHODS We systematically searched MEDLINE and Embase for original human studies reporting on associations between prenatal factors and dementia from inception to 23 November 2022. Prenatal factors could be any factor assessed during pregnancy, at birth or postnatally, provided they were indicative of a prenatal exposure. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. We followed PRISMA guidelines for reporting. RESULTS A total of 68 studies met eligibility criteria (including millions of individuals), assessing maternal age (N = 30), paternal age (N = 22), birth order (N = 15), season of birth (N = 16), place of birth (N = 13), prenatal influenza pandemic (N = 1) or Chinese famine exposure (N = 1), birth characteristics (N = 3) and prenatal hormone exposure (N = 4). We observed consistent results for birth in a generally less optimal environment (e.g. high infant mortality area) being associated with higher dementia risk. Lower and higher birth weight and prenatal famine exposure were associated with higher dementia risk. The studies on season of birth, digit ratio, prenatal influenza pandemic exposure, parental age and birth order showed inconsistent results and were hampered by relatively high risk of bias. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that some prenatal factors, especially those related to a suboptimal prenatal environment, are associated with an increased dementia risk. As these associations may be confounded by factors such as parental socioeconomic status, more research is needed to examine the potential causal role of the prenatal environment in dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Marileen Wiegersma
- Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Aging & Later Life, Health Behaviors & Chronic Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Amber Boots
- Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Aging & Later Life, Health Behaviors & Chronic Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Miranda W Langendam
- Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Methodology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline Limpens
- Medical Library, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Susan D Shenkin
- Geriatric Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Aniko Korosi
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tessa J Roseboom
- Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Aging & Later Life, Health Behaviors & Chronic Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Susanne R de Rooij
- Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Aging & Later Life, Health Behaviors & Chronic Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Szejko N, Macul Ferreira de Barros P, Avila-Quintero VJ, Lombroso A, Bloch MH. Parental Age and the Risk for Alzheimer's Disease in Offspring: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra 2021; 11:140-150. [PMID: 34178019 PMCID: PMC8216010 DOI: 10.1159/000515523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia worldwide, accounting for 50-75% of all cases. While older maternal and paternal age at childbirth are established risk factors for Down syndrome which is associated with later AD, it is still not entirely clear whether parental age is a risk factor for AD. Previous studies have suggested contradictory findings. OBJECTIVES We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine whether parental (maternal and paternal) age at birth was associated with AD and whether individuals born to younger or older parents were at an increased risk for AD. METHODS Two reviewers searched the electronic database of PubMed for relevant studies. Eligibility for the meta-analysis was based on the following criteria: (1) studies involving patients with AD and an adequate control group, (2) case control or cohort studies, (3) studies investigating parental age. All statistical analyses were completed in STATA/IC version 16. RESULTS Eleven studies involving 4,371 participants were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Meta-analysis demonstrated no significant association between maternal (weighted mean difference [WMD] 0.49, 95% CI -0.52 to 1.49, p = 0.34) and paternal age and AD (WMD 1.00, 95% CI -0.55 to 2.56, p = 0.21). Similarly, individuals born to younger (<25 years) or older parents (>35 years) did not demonstrate a differential risk for AD. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this meta-analysis did not demonstrate an association between parental age and the risk of AD in offspring. These findings should be interpreted with caution given the limited power of the overall meta-analysis and the methodological limitations of the underlying studies as in many cases no adjustment for potential confounders was included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Szejko
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Bioethics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | | | - Adam Lombroso
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michael Howard Bloch
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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de Jong SW, Huisman MHB, Hennekam EAM, Sutedja NA, van der Kooi AJ, de Visser M, Schelhaas HJ, Fischer K, Veldink JH, van den Berg LH. Parental age and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2012; 14:224-7. [PMID: 23151261 DOI: 10.3109/21678421.2012.739176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Sporadic ALS is a multifactorial disease for which there are probably multiple genetic risk factors. An association with increased parental age might suggest there is a role for specific (epi)genetic changes. Previous studies have shown conflicting results on the association between parental age and the risk of ALS. A large, population based study might help in the search for specific (epi)genetic risk factors. We performed a population based, case-control study in the Netherlands. Date of birth of both mother and father was retrieved from the National Register. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed in 769 patients with sporadic ALS, 49 patients with a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9orf72, and 1929 age-, gender- and geographically-matched controls. Multivariate analyses showed no difference in either paternal or maternal age at delivery (adjusted for age of subject, age of other parent at delivery, and level of education) in patients with sporadic ALS, nor in patients with a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9orf72 compared to controls. In conclusion, parental age was not associated with an increased risk of ALS in our study. (Epi)genetic alterations that are associated with increased parental age are not, therefore, likely to contribute to the aetiology of sporadic ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja W de Jong
- Department of Neurology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Mosconi L, Tsui W, Murray J, McHugh P, Li Y, Williams S, Pirraglia E, Glodzik L, De Santi S, Vallabhajosula S, de Leon MJ. Maternal age affects brain metabolism in adult children of mothers affected by Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2011; 33:624.e1-9. [PMID: 21514691 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2010] [Revised: 02/22/2011] [Accepted: 03/05/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Cognitively normal (NL) individuals with a maternal history of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (MH) show reduced brain glucose metabolism on FDG-PET as compared to those with a paternal history (PH) and those with negative family history (NH) of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This FDG-PET study investigates whether metabolic deficits in NL MH are associated with advancing maternal age at birth. Ninety-six NL individuals with FDG-PET were examined, including 36 MH, 24 PH, and 36 NH. Regional-to-whole brain gray matter standardized FDG uptake value ratios were examined for associations with parental age across groups using automated regions-of-interest and statistical parametric mapping. Groups were comparable for clinical and neuropsychological measures. Brain metabolism in AD-vulnerable regions was lower in MH compared to NH and PH, and negatively correlated with maternal age at birth only in MH. There were no associations between paternal age and metabolism in any group. Evidence for a maternally inherited, maternal age-related mechanism provides further insight on risk factors and genetic transmission in late-onset AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Mosconi
- New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Elderly persons with elderly fathers - do they face additional risks? Int Psychogeriatr 2008; 20:427-9. [PMID: 18524028 DOI: 10.1017/s1041610207006242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Whalley LJ, Dick FD, McNeill G. A life-course approach to the aetiology of late-onset dementias. Lancet Neurol 2006; 5:87-96. [PMID: 16361026 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(05)70286-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Substantial progress has been made in the understanding of the neurobiology of dementias, but comprehensive causal models are not available. Genetic and environmental factors probably interact to determine vulnerability to the dementias. The life-course approach to age-related diseases, when systematically applied to the dementias, provides opportunities to identify the nature and timing of environmental contributions. We discuss the relevance of the fetal origins of adult disease hypothesis to the dementias. Associations between the dementias (most often described as Alzheimer's disease) and ischaemic heart disease, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus are set against associations between dementias and childhood intelligence, low educational attainments, low socioeconomic status, occupation, and lifetime dietary history. Biological mechanisms that explain how fetal development might influence the risk of adult disease may be relevant to many age-related diseases including the dementias and, possibly, to the biology of ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence J Whalley
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
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Alzheimer's disease: a review of the disease, its epidemiology and economic impact. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 1998; 27:189-221. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-4943(98)00116-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/1998] [Revised: 06/29/1998] [Accepted: 06/30/1998] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Fratiglioni L, Ahlbom A, Viitanen M, Winblad B. Risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease: a population-based, case-control study. Ann Neurol 1993; 33:258-66. [PMID: 8498809 DOI: 10.1002/ana.410330306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Our current knowledge of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease is limited and primarily addresses early-onset disease. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease using a case-control approach. Ninety-eight cases and 216 controls were gathered from an ongoing population survey on aging and dementia in Stockholm (the Kungsholmen Project). We found a high relative risk (3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-5.7) with the presence of at least one first-degree relative affected by dementia. Among all the other risk factors, alcohol abuse (relative risk, 4.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-13.8) and manual work (relative risk for men of 5.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-25.5) emerged as positively associated. No clear association was found with a family history of Parkinson disease, advanced parental age at index delivery, season of birth, or previous head trauma. In conclusion, our data suggest that the main risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease is a family history of dementia, as has been previously reported for early-onset disease. Moreover, alcohol abuse and occupational exposure might play a specific role for this form of the disease.
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Amaducci L, Falcini M, Lippi A. Descriptive epidemiology and risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA. SUPPLEMENTUM 1992; 139:21-5. [PMID: 1414264 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1992.tb04449.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L Amaducci
- Department of Neurologic and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Florence, Italy
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