Abstract
The fetus undergoes a crucial period of neurodevelopment in utero. The maternal hair metabolome provides an integrated record of the metabolic state of the mother prior to, and during pregnancy. We investigated whether variation in the maternal hair metabolome was associated with neurodevelopmental differences across infants. Maternal hair samples and infant neurocognitive assessments (using the Bayley III Scales of Infant Development at 24 months) were obtained for 373 infant-mother dyads between 26–28 weeks’ gestation from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes cohort. The hair metabolome was analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Intensity measurements were obtained for 276 compounds. After controlling for maternal education, ethnicity, and infant sex, associations between metabolites and expressive language skills were detected, but not for receptive language, cognitive or motor skills. The results confirm previous research associating higher levels of phthalates with lower language ability. In addition, scores were positively associated with a cluster of compounds, including adipic acid and medium-chain fatty acids. The data support associations between the maternal hair metabolome and neurodevelopmental processes of the fetus. The association between phthalates and lower language ability highlights a modifiable risk factor that warrants further investigation.
Highlights
Between 10–20% of individuals worldwide have a neurodevelopmental disability[1]
Given the associations reported between the maternal urine and plasma metabolome and infants’ cognitive development, and the utility of the hair metabolome for identifying metabolomic markers of pregnancy disorders, the aim of our study was to investigate whether there are associations between the maternal hair metabolome and variation in the infant’s neurocognitive development
We have used gas-chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to measure the metabolome of maternal hair collected at 26–28 weeks of pregnancy
Summary
Between 10–20% of individuals worldwide have a neurodevelopmental disability[1]. During pregnancy, the fetus undergoes a period of intense neurodevelopment, making this a key time frame for understanding variability in cognitive traits. Targeted metabolomics studies have found links between the maternal plasma and urine metabolomes and infants’ cognitive development[8,9]. The maternal hair metabolome has been explored as a biological specimen to identify potential biomarkers and underlying metabolic mechanisms associated with the development of adverse pregnancy outcomes[10,11]. No studies have been reported to investigate associations between the maternal hair metabolome and neurocognitive development of the offspring. Given the associations reported between the maternal urine and plasma metabolome and infants’ cognitive development, and the utility of the hair metabolome for identifying metabolomic markers of pregnancy disorders, the aim of our study was to investigate whether there are associations between the maternal hair metabolome and variation in the infant’s neurocognitive development. We assess whether there are associations between this metabolome and variation in infant neurocognitive development at age two years, evaluated using the five subscores of the Bayley III Scales of Infant Development (BSID-III)[11,15]: cognition, receptive language, expressive language, fine motor, and gross motor
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