Poster Session 10 Program Schedule
02/17/2024
09:00 am - 10:15 am
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)
Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental | Congenital Conditions
Final Abstract #10
Prenatal Levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Their Hydroxylated Metabolites and Motor Performance at Adolescence
Sietske Berghuis, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Anne-Eva Post, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Pieter Sauer, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Arend Bos, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Category: Prenatal/Perinatal Factors/Prematurity
Keyword 1: prenatal factors
Keyword 2: motor function
Keyword 3: adolescence
Objective:
The prenatal period is an important period in the development of the brain. Exposure to environmental chemicals during this essential period has been found to be associated with poorer neurological functioning and motor performance in children. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment. Knowledge about the long term effects of background prenatal exposure to PCBs and their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs) on motor performance is limited. The aim of this study was to assess whether prenatal levels of PCBs and OH-PCBs are associated with motor performance at adolescence.
Participants and Methods:
This study is part of the Development at Adolescence and Chemical Exposure (DACE)-study, a longitudinal Dutch birth-cohort study. Levels of 10 PCBs and 6 OH-PCBs were measured in maternal serum at the third trimester of pregnancy. At follow-up in adolescence, the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) was used to assess the motor performance, including the fine motor skills, the coordination, and the control of movements. The total score on the DCDQ can range from 15 to 75, with higher scores reflecting better motor performance. The questionnaire was filled in by one of the parents. The partial Spearman test was used to explore the correlations between PCB and OH-PCB levels and the DCDQ scores.
Results:
In this follow-up study, 115 adolescents were included of which 62 were boys and 53 were girls and their mean age was 14.4 years. The mean total score in the DCDQ was 64.7. We found some marginally significant (p <.10) negative associations between higher OH-PCB levels and DCDQ scores. Higher maternal pregnancy levels of 4-OH-PCB-172 were associated with lower DCDQ total scores (rho= -0.30; p= 0.072), as well as with lower scores on coordination (rho= -0.34; p= 0.045). 4-OH-PCB-187 was associated with lower scores on fine motor skills (rho= -0.28; p= 0.058) and on coordination (rho= -0.28; p= 0.056). Higher levels of the sum of all six measured OH-PCBs were associated with lower scores on coordination (rho= -0.30; p= 0.071). The other POPs were not found to be associated with DCDQ scores.
Conclusions:
Higher maternal pregnancy levels of two OH-PCB compounds and the sum of the six OH-PCBs were found to be negatively associated with parent-reported motor performance in 13- to 15- year old children. This explorative study suggests that higher prenatal Dutch background exposure to several OH-PCBs was associated with less optimal motor performance at adolescence.
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