The Association between Prenatal Maternal Selenium Concentration and Neurodevelopment in Early Childhood, Results from a Mother-Child Cohort Study.

Background: Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient essential for human health and the developing brain. A few studies have demonstrated associations between maternal Se concentration and child neurodevelopment.

Objectives: We aimed to describe Se status in pregnant Nepalese females and explore the association between maternal Se plasma concentration in early pregnancy and child neurodevelopment measured during early childhood in Nepalese children.

Methods: The cohort study included 800 mother-infant dyads from Bhaktapur, Nepal. Blood samples from pregnant females were drawn within 15 wk of gestation and Se concentration was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Child neurodevelopment was assessed at 6, 12, and 24 mo with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition (Bayley-3). We used linear mixed models to examine the association between maternal plasma Se concentration and Bayley-3 scores, adjusted for maternal age and socioeconomic status.

Results: The mean (standard deviation) maternal plasma Se concentration was 74.8 μg/L (10.4 μg/L), and 290 (36.3%) pregnant females had Se concentration indicating deficiency (<71.1 μg/L). We found no significant association between maternal Se concentration and the Bayley-3 total z-score [Coeff. 0.002 (95% confidence interval: -0.007, 0.011)], and no associations between Se concentration and any of the Bayley-3 composite and subscale scores.

Conclusions: Despite a substantial proportion of pregnant females with Se deficiency, maternal Se concentration was not associated with early childhood neurodevelopment in our study cohort of healthy pregnant Nepalese females.