Impacts of ante-natal exposure to a mixture of endocrine disruptors on cognitive and neuromotor functions in preschool children

IF 2.9 3区医学 Q3 ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM

Annales d'endocrinologie Pub Date : 2025-06-01 DOI:10.1016/j.ando.2025.101740

Christophe Barrea , Patrice Dufour , Pirard Catherine , Corinne Charlier , Fanny Brévers , Anne-Simone Parent , Laurence Rousselle

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

The effects of prenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on neurodevelopment remain inconsistent, and few studies have specifically examined cognitive processes. Additionally, toxicants are often analyzed individually, without considering their combined effects. This study aimed to investigate the impact of prenatal exposure to a mixture of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on neuromotor and cognitive development in preschool-aged children.

Methods

Between 2014 and 2016, 62 children were recruited into a longitudinal cohort study. Cord serum samples were analyzed for one organochlorine pesticide, four polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and seven perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).

At six years of age, children underwent neuropsychological assessments evaluating intelligence, attention, memory, and executive functioning, as well as standardized tests for motor skills, language, and arithmetic abilities. Associations between POP mixtures and these outcomes were analyzed using the principal component approach and weighted quantile sum regression, accounting for sex differences.

Results

Higher prenatal exposure to POP mixtures was significantly associated with lower attentional, neuromotor, and language scores when boys and girls were analyzed together.

In sex-stratified analyses, negative associations with attentional and neuromotor functions remained significant but were observed only in boys. Additionally, boys with higher prenatal exposure to POP mixtures exhibited lower scores in full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ), fluid reasoning index, working memory, and planning abilities. In contrast, prenatal exposure to a mixture of EDCs in girls was associated with reduced behavioral regulation, particularly inhibition control. Regarding language development, exposure to POP mixtures was associated with lower receptive language abilities in boys, whereas expressive language was more affected in girls. No significant association was found with arithmetic abilities.

Conclusion

These findings support negative associations between prenatal exposure to a mixture of endocrine disruptors and specific cognitive functions in children. Our study highlights a sex-specific effect, contributing to a better understanding of trends described in the literature.

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产前暴露于混合内分泌干扰物对学龄前儿童认知和神经运动功能的影响

目的产前暴露于内分泌干扰化学物质（EDCs）对神经发育的影响仍不一致，很少有研究专门研究认知过程。此外，毒物通常被单独分析，而不考虑它们的综合影响。本研究旨在探讨产前暴露于持久性有机污染物混合物对学龄前儿童神经运动和认知发展的影响。方法2014年至2016年，62名儿童被纳入一项纵向队列研究。对脐带血清样本进行了1种有机氯农药、4种多氯联苯（PCBs）和7种全氟烷基物质（PFASs）分析。在6岁时，孩子们接受了智力、注意力、记忆力和执行功能的神经心理学评估，以及运动技能、语言和算术能力的标准化测试。使用主成分法和加权分位数和回归分析了POP混合物与这些结果之间的关系，并考虑了性别差异。结果当男孩和女孩一起分析时，较高的产前POP混合物暴露与较低的注意力、神经运动和语言分数显著相关。在性别分层分析中，注意和神经运动功能的负相关仍然显著，但仅在男孩中观察到。此外，产前接触较多POP混合物的男孩在全面智商（FSIQ）、流体推理指数、工作记忆和计划能力方面得分较低。相比之下，女孩产前暴露于EDCs混合物与行为调节，特别是抑制控制减少有关。在语言发展方面，接触POP混合物与男孩的接受性语言能力较低有关，而表达性语言在女孩中受影响更大。与算术能力没有显著的联系。结论：这些发现支持产前暴露于内分泌干扰物混合物与儿童特定认知功能之间的负相关。我们的研究强调了性别特异性效应，有助于更好地理解文献中描述的趋势。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Annales d'endocrinologie 医学-内分泌学与代谢

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

6.50%

发文量

311

审稿时长

50 days

期刊介绍： The Annales d''Endocrinologie, mouthpiece of the French Society of Endocrinology (SFE), publishes reviews, articles and case reports coming from clinical, therapeutic and fundamental research in endocrinology and metabolic diseases. Every year, it carries a position paper by a work-group of French-language endocrinologists, on an endocrine pathology chosen by the Society''s Scientific Committee. The journal is also the organ of the Society''s annual Congress, publishing a summary of the symposia, presentations and posters. "Les Must de l''Endocrinologie" is a special booklet brought out for the Congress, with summary articles that are always very well received. And finally, we publish the high-level instructional courses delivered during the Henri-Pierre Klotz International Endocrinology Days. The Annales is a window on the world, keeping alert clinicians up to date on what is going on in diagnosis and treatment in all the areas of our specialty.