Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and executive functions at school age: Results from a combined cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Executive functions develop rapidly in childhood, enabling problem-solving, focused attention, and planning. Exposures to environmental toxicants in pregnancy may impair healthy executive function development in children. There is increasing concern regarding polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) given their ability to transfer across the placenta and the fetal blood-brain barrier, yet evidence from epidemiological studies is limited.

Methods

We examined associations between prenatal PAH exposure and executive functions in 814 children of non-smoking mothers from two U.S. cohorts in the ECHO-PATHWAYS Consortium. Seven mono-hydroxylated PAH metabolites were measured in mid-pregnancy urine and analyzed individually and as mixtures. Three executive function domains

SUBMITTER: Ni Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11896739 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature