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Margolis AE, Greenwood P, Dranovsky A, Rauh V. The Role of Environmental Chemicals in the Etiology of Learning Difficulties: A Novel Theoretical Framework. MIND, BRAIN AND EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION SOCIETY 2023; 17:301-311. [PMID: 38389544 PMCID: PMC10881209 DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Children from economically disadvantaged communities have a disproportionate risk of exposure to chemicals, social stress, and learning difficulties. Although animal models and epidemiologic studies link exposures and neurodevelopment, little focus has been paid to academic outcomes in environmental health studies. Similarly, in the educational literature, environmental chemical exposures are overlooked as potential etiologic factors in learning difficulties. We propose a theoretical framework for the etiology of learning difficulties that focuses on these understudied exogenous factors. We discuss findings from animal models and longitudinal, prospective birth cohort studies that support this theoretical framework. Studies reviewed point to the effects of prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on reading comprehension and math skills via effects on inhibitory control processes. Long term, this work will help close the achievement gap in the United States by identifying behavioral and neural pathways from prenatal exposures to learning difficulties in children from economically disadvantaged families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E. Margolis
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | - Paige Greenwood
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
| | - Alex Dranovsky
- New York State Psychiatric Institute
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
| | - Virginia Rauh
- Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
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Feltner M, Hare PM, Good A, Foster EG, Clough K, Perry J, Honaker A, Kyntchev A, Kowalski M, Curran CP. Differential Susceptibility to Benzo[a]pyrene Exposure during Gestation and Lactation in Mice with Genetic Variations in the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and Cyp1 Genes. TOXICS 2023; 11:778. [PMID: 37755789 PMCID: PMC10537487 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11090778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are ubiquitous air pollutants, with additional widespread exposure in the diet. PAH exposure has been linked to adverse birth outcomes and long-term neurological consequences. To understand genetic differences that could affect susceptibility following developmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, we exposed mice with variations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and the three CYP1 enzymes from gestational day 10 (G10) to weaning at postnatal day 25 (P25). We found unexpectedly high neonatal lethality in high-affinity AhrbCyp1b1(-/-) knockout mice compared with all other genotypes. Over 60% of BaP-exposed pups died within their first 5 days of life. There was a significant effect of BaP on growth rates in surviving pups, with lower weights observed from P7 to P21. Again, AhrbCyp1b1(-/-) knockout mice were the most susceptible to growth retardation. Independent of treatment, this line of mice also had impaired development of the surface righting reflex. We used high-resolution mass spectrometry to measure BaP and metabolites in tissues from both dams and pups. We found the highest BaP levels in adipose from poor-affinity AhrdCyp1a2(-/-) dams and identified three major BaP metabolites (BaP-7-OH, BaP-9-OH, and BaP-4,5-diol), but our measurements were limited to a single time point. Future work is needed to understand BaP pharmacokinetics in the contexts of gestation and lactation and how differential metabolism leads to adverse developmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie Feltner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Patrick M. Hare
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA;
| | - Asia Good
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Emma G. Foster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Katelyn Clough
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Jade Perry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Amanda Honaker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Angela Kyntchev
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Mickayla Kowalski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Christine Perdan Curran
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA; (M.F.); (E.G.F.); (K.C.); (A.H.); (A.K.); (M.K.)
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