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A preliminary study on prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether serum concentrations and intrinsic functional network organization and executive functioning in childhood.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:The prenatal period is a period of vulnerability during which neurotoxic exposures exert persistent changes in brain development and behavior. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), used as flame retardants in commercial products, are known to be developmental neurotoxicants. PBDEs were phased out of use in the United States a decade ago, but exposure remains widespread due to their release from existing products and biopersistence. Despite consistent animal and epidemiological evidence of developmental neurotoxicity, the neural substrates linking prenatal PBDE serum concentrations to impaired neurodevelopment are poorly understood. METHODS:In the present study, we used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine associations between prenatal PBDE concentrations measured in maternal serum and intrinsic functional network organization (i.e., global and local efficiency; estimated using a graph-theoretical approach) in 5-year-old children (n = 34). We explored whether PBDE serum concentrations were associated with executive functioning (EF) assessed using a parent-report questionnaire (BRIEF-P) (n = 106) and whether changes in intrinsic functional network organization linked the association between prenatal PBDE serum concentrations and EF problems. RESULTS:Children with higher prenatal PBDE serum concentrations showed: (a) increased global efficiency of brain areas involved in visual attention (e.g., inferior occipital gyrus) (?'s = .01, FDR-corrected p's ? .05); (b) more reported EF problems (?'s = .001, FDR-corrected p's ? .05). Higher global efficiency of brain areas involved in visual attention was associated with more EF problems (?'s = .01, FDR-corrected p's < .05). CONCLUSIONS:Intrinsic functional network organization of visual attention brain areas linked prenatal PBDE concentrations to EF problems in childhood. Visual attention may contribute to the development of higher-order cognitive functions, such as EF, which could be explored in future studies.

SUBMITTER: de Water E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7105394 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A preliminary study on prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether serum concentrations and intrinsic functional network organization and executive functioning in childhood.

de Water Erik E Curtin Paul P Zilverstand Anna A Sjödin Andreas A Bonilla Anny A Herbstman Julie B JB Ramirez Judyth J Margolis Amy E AE Bansal Ravi R Whyatt Robin M RM Peterson Bradley S BS Factor-Litvak Pam P Horton Megan K MK

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines 20190318 9

<h4>Background</h4>The prenatal period is a period of vulnerability during which neurotoxic exposures exert persistent changes in brain development and behavior. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), used as flame retardants in commercial products, are known to be developmental neurotoxicants. PBDEs were phased out of use in the United States a decade ago, but exposure remains widespread due to their release from existing products and biopersistence. Despite consistent animal and epidemiologic ...[more]

PMID: 30882909

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Project description:California children's exposures to polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants (PBDEs) are among the highest measured worldwide. We previously reported associations for prenatal and childhood PBDE exposures with decrements in attention, processing speed, fine motor coordination, and cognition in children at ages 5 and 7 years. Here, we investigate associations of PBDEs with attention and executive function at ages 9 to 12 years in the expanded CHAMACOS cohort.We measured PBDEs in prenatal and child age 9 year serum samples for families enrolled in the study since pregnancy ("CHAM1", N=321). In a subsequent cohort for which families were enrolled at child age 9 ("CHAM2", N=301), we measured PBDEs in maternal and child samples collected at child age 9, and used predictive modeling to estimate prenatal exposure levels. We examined associations of measured and estimated PBDE concentrations on children's attention and executive functioning at ages 9, 10½, and 12 years.Geometric means for prenatal and childhood ?PBDE levels (sum of PBDE-47, -99, -100, -153) for the expanded CHAMACOS cohort were 26.3 and 63.2 ng/g lipid, respectively, and did not differ significantly between CHAM1 and CHAM2 families. We found consistent associations of prenatal exposure to PBDEs with poorer attention and executive function, measured with parent report and direct neuropsychological testing of the child. For example, using GEE models of repeated outcome measures at ages 9 and 12, a 10-fold increase in prenatal ?PBDE was associated with poorer response consistency on the Conners' Continuous Performance Test II (?=2.9; 95% CI: 0.9, 4.8) and poorer working memory on the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (?=2.5; 95% CI: 0.5, 4.4). Child age 9 ?PBDE levels were associated with poorer parent-reported attention and executive function for girls but not boys.Our results suggest that the prefrontal cortex may be a potential target for PBDE exposure and add to a growing literature showing that these ubiquitous toxicants may adversely affect neurodevelopment.

Dataset Information

A preliminary study on prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether serum concentrations and intrinsic functional network organization and executive functioning in childhood.

Publications

A preliminary study on prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether serum concentrations and intrinsic functional network organization and executive functioning in childhood.

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