Outdoor artificial light at night exposure during pregnancy and child cognitive and psychomotor development.

Abstract

PDS 73: Neurological effects, Johan Friso Foyer, Floor 1, August 26, 2019, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Background/Aim: Exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) has been related with a higher exposure to blue light spectrum that has been shown to suppress melatonin. We assessed whether residential outdoor ALAN exposure during pregnancy was associated with child cognitive and psychomotor development at 4 years of age. Methods: We used data of 477 children from Sabadell, Spain, as part of the INMA Project. Outdoor ALAN was estimated using images from the International Space Station of 2013. Exposure to remotely sensed upward visual light and to blue light spectrum for whole pregnancy period was calculated. Child cognitive and psychomotor development was assessed at 4 years of age by psychologists using the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities. Linear regression models were adjusted for various socio-economic and lifestyle characteristics. Multiple imputation and inverse probability weighting were applied to correct for potential attrition bias. Results: Exposure to visual light of outdoor ALAN and in the blue light spectrum during pregnancy was not associated with child general cognition and global motor (e.g. 2.30 points of general cognition [95%CI: -0.67; 5.92) for higher vs. lowest tertile of visual light and 1.06 points of general cognition [95%CI:-2.03; 4.14] for highest vs. lowest tertile of blue light spectrum). However, exposure to outdoor ALAN in the blue light spectrum was associated with better child fine motors skills (3.93 points [95%CI: 0.66; 7.22] for higher vs. lowest tertile of blue light spectrum). Conclusions: Evidence on the effect of residential outdoor ALAN in the visual light or in the blue light spectrum exposure during pregnancy and cognitive and psychomotor development in children at 4 years old was not consistent. However, we found modest evidence between residential outdoor ALAN in the blue light spectrum exposure and child fine motor skills.