Abstract
Vitamin D deficiency during critical periods of development could lead to persistent brain alterations. We aimed to assess the association between maternal vitamin D3, the major circulatory form of vitamin D, at pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes during childhood, namely: behavioural problems, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms, and social competence. This study included 2,107 mother-child pairs of a Spanish population-based birth cohort. Maternal plasma vitamin D3 was measured in pregnancy. The outcomes were measured through questionnaires at 5, 8, 14, and 18 years old. We ran multivariate regression models adjusted for potential confounding variables. We found that per each 10 ng/mL increment of maternal vitamin D3, children obtained higher social competence scores (coefficient = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.19, 1.35) at 5 years old. However, we observed null associations between maternal vitamin D3 and total behavioural problems and ADHD and ASD symptoms in children from 5 to 18 years old. Further studies carried out in countries where the population is exposed to lower vitamin D levels are needed.
Highlights
Vitamin D is a hormone that is involved in the formation of bone and in the regulation of several functions throughout the body, including the central nervous system function1
This study aims to assess the association between maternal circulating vitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) in pregnancy, when key neuronal maturation processes take place in the foetus, and behavioural problems, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, and social competence from 5 to 18 years old in the INMA cohort, which is based in different regions of Spain
We explored the associations between maternal 25(OH)D3 concentration during pregnancy and a wide range of behavioural problems, including ADHD and ASD symptoms, and social competence in children at different ages using data from a population-based birth cohort located in five regions across Spain
Summary
Vitamin D is a hormone that is involved in the formation of bone and in the regulation of several functions throughout the body, including the central nervous system function. Vitamin D deficiency is a public health problem worldwide, for darker skinned individuals living further away from the equator8 If this deficiency occurs during critical periods of development, it could lead to changes that persist through adulthood, and increases the risk of different psychiatric and neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, dementia, cognitive decline, Parkinson disease, and depression. A recent study observed that higher maternal 25(OH)D concentration (>20.4 ng/mL) at week 13 of pregnancy was related to a lower number of behavioural problems and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms at 4 years old. This study aims to assess the association between maternal circulating vitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) in pregnancy, when key neuronal maturation processes take place in the foetus, and behavioural problems, ADHD and ASD symptoms, and social competence from 5 to 18 years old in the INMA cohort, which is based in different regions of Spain
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