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Schneider D, Bouhali F, Richter CG, Costache R, Costache C, Kirchhoffer K, Sheth V, MacDonald I, Hoeft F. Perinatal influences on academic achievement and the developing brain: a scoping systematic review. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1352241. [PMID: 38962224 PMCID: PMC11221367 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1352241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction and methods In this PRISMA-compliant systematic review, we identify and synthesize the findings of research in which neuroimaging and assessments of achievement have been used to examine the relationships among aspects of developmental programming, neurodevelopment, and achievement in reading and mathematics. Results Forty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. The majority examined the impact of prematurity (n = 32) and prenatal alcohol exposure (n = 13). Several prematurity studies reported a positive correlation between white-matter integrity of callosal fibers and executive functioning and/or achievement, and white matter properties were consistently associated with cognitive and academic performance in preterm and full-term children. Volumetric studies reported positive associations between academic and cognitive abilities and white and gray matter volume in regions such as the insula, putamen, and prefrontal lobes. Functional MRI studies demonstrated increased right-hemispheric language processing among preterm children. Altered activation of the frontoparietal network related to numerical abilities was also reported. Prenatal alcohol exposure studies reported alterations in white matter microstructure linked to deficits in cognitive functioning and academic achievement, including mathematics, reading, and vocabulary skills. Volumetric studies reported reductions in cerebral, cerebellar, and subcortical gray matter volumes associated with decreased scores on measures of executive functioning, attention, working memory, and academic performance. Functional MRI studies demonstrated broad, diffuse activation, reduced activation in canonical regions, and increased activation in non-canonical regions during numeric tasks. Discussion A preponderance of studies linked prematurity and prenatal alcohol exposure to altered neurodevelopmental processes and suboptimal academic achievement. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed. Systematic review registration Identifier: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZAN67.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Schneider
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
- Webster University, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Caroline G. Richter
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Radu Costache
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Catalina Costache
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Kaitlyn Kirchhoffer
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Vatsa Sheth
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Ibo MacDonald
- Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Marshall AT, Bodison SC, Uban KA, Adise S, Jonker D, Charles W, Donald KA, Kan E, Ipser JC, Butler-Kruger L, Steigelmann B, Narr KL, Joshi SH, Brink LT, Odendaal HJ, Scheffler F, Stein DJ, Sowell ER. The impact of prenatal alcohol and/or tobacco exposure on brain structure in a large sample of children from a South African birth cohort. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:1980-1992. [PMID: 36117382 PMCID: PMC11334753 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroimaging studies have emphasized the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on brain development, traditionally in heavily exposed participants. However, less is known about how naturally occurring community patterns of PAE (including light to moderate exposure) affect brain development, particularly in consideration of commonly occurring concurrent impacts of prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE). METHODS Three hundred thirty-two children (ages 8 to 12) living in South Africa's Cape Flats townships underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. During pregnancy, their mothers reported alcohol and tobacco use, which was used to evaluate PAE and PTE effects on their children's brain structure. Analyses involved the main effects of PAE and PTE (and their interaction) and the effects of PAE and PTE quantity on cortical thickness, surface area, and volume. RESULTS After false-discovery rate (FDR) correction, PAE was associated with thinner left parahippocampal cortices, while PTE was associated with smaller cortical surface area in the bilateral pericalcarine, left lateral orbitofrontal, right posterior cingulate, right rostral anterior cingulate, left caudal middle frontal, and right caudal anterior cingulate gyri. There were no PAE × PTE interactions nor any associations of PAE and PTE exposure on volumetrics that survived FDR correction. CONCLUSION PAE was associated with reduction in the structure of the medial temporal lobe, a brain region critical for learning and memory. PTE had stronger and broader associations, including with regions associated with executive function, reward processing, and emotional regulation, potentially reflecting continued postnatal exposure to tobacco (i.e., second-hand smoke exposure). These differential effects are discussed with respect to reduced PAE quantity in our exposed group versus prior studies within this geographical location, the deep poverty in which participants live, and the consequences of apartheid and racially and economically driven payment practices that contributed to heavy drinking in the region. Longer-term follow-up is needed to determine potential environmental and other moderators of the brain findings here and assess the extent to which they endure over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T. Marshall
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Stefanie C. Bodison
- Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kristina A. Uban
- Department of Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Shana Adise
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Deborah Jonker
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Weslin Charles
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kirsten A. Donald
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Eric Kan
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jonathan C. Ipser
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Letitia Butler-Kruger
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Katherine L. Narr
- UCLA Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Shantanu H. Joshi
- UCLA Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Lucy T. Brink
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Hein J. Odendaal
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Freda Scheffler
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dan J. Stein
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Elizabeth R. Sowell
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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