Klus JK, Thurston SW, Myers GJ, Watson GE, Rand MD, Love TM, Yeates AJ, Mulhern MS, McSorley EM, Strain JJ, Shamlaye CF, van Wijngaarden E. Postnatal methylmercury exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 7 years of age in the Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2.
Neurotoxicology 2023;
99:115-119. [PMID:
37832849 PMCID:
PMC10842381 DOI:
10.1016/j.neuro.2023.10.004]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Consumption of fish yields many nutritional benefits, but also results in exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). The developing brain is known to be particularly susceptible to MeHg toxicity in high doses. However, the potential impact of low-level environmental exposure from fish consumption on children's neurodevelopment remains unclear.
METHODS
We investigated postnatal MeHg exposure at 7 years and its association with a battery of 17 neurodevelopmental outcomes in a subset of children (n = 376) from 1535 enrolled mother-child pairs in Nutrition Cohort 2 of the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS NC2). Each outcome was modeled in relation to postnatal MeHg exposure using linear regression, adjusting for prenatal MeHg exposure, levels of maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and several other covariates known to be associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes.
RESULTS
Median postnatal MeHg exposure at 7 years was 2.5 ppm, while the median prenatal MeHg exposure was 3.5 ppm. We found no statistically significant associations between postnatal MeHg exposure and any of the 17 neurodevelopmental outcomes after adjusting for prenatal MeHg exposure and other covariates.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings are consistent with previous cross-sectional analyses of the SCDS Main Cohort. Continued follow-up of the entire NC2 cohort at later ages with repeated exposure measures is needed to further confirm these findings.
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