Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
neuroscience
Fish consumption and prenatal methylmercury exposure: Cognitive and behavioral outcomes in the main cohort at 17 years from the Seychelles child development study
NeuroToxicology, Volume 32, No. 6, Year 2011
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Introduction: People worldwide depend upon daily fish consumption as a major source of protein and other nutrients. Fish are high in nutrients essential for normal brain development, but they also contain methylmercury (MeHg), a neurotoxicant. Our studies in a population consuming fish daily have indicated no consistent pattern of adverse associations between prenatal MeHg and children's development. For some endpoints we found performance improved with increasing prenatal exposure to MeHg. Follow up studies indicate this association is related to the beneficial nutrients present in fish. Objectives: To determine if the absence of adverse outcomes and the presence of beneficial associations between prenatal MeHg and developmental outcomes previously reported persists into adolescence. Methods: This study was conducted on the Main Cohort of the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS). We examined the association between prenatal MeHg exposure and subjects' performance at 17 years of age on 27 endpoints. The test battery included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), the Woodcock-Johnson (W-J-II) Achievement Test, subtests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), and measures of problematic behaviors. Analyses for all endpoints were adjusted for postnatal MeHg, sex, socioeconomic status, maternal IQ, and child's age at testing and the child's IQ was added for problematic behavioral endpoints. Results: Mean prenatal MeHg exposure was 6.9. ppm. There was no association between prenatal MeHg and 21 endpoints. Increasing prenatal MeHg was associated with better scores on four endpoints (higher W-J-II math calculation scores, reduced numbers of trials on the Intra-Extradimensional Shift Set of the CANTAB), fewer reports of substance use and incidents of and referrals for problematic behaviors in school. Increasing prenatal MeHg was adversely associated with one level of referrals to a school counselor. Conclusions: At age 17 years there was no consistent pattern of adverse associations present between prenatal MeHg exposure and detailed domain specific neurocognitive and behavioral testing. There continues to be evidence of improved performance on some endpoints as prenatal MeHg exposure increases in the range studied, a finding that appears to reflect the role of beneficial nutrients present in fish as demonstrated previously in younger subjects. These findings suggest that ocean fish consumption during pregnancy is important for the health and development of children and that the benefits are long lasting. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.
Authors & Co-Authors
Davidson, Philip W.
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Cory-Slechta, Deborah A.
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Thurston, Sally W.
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Huang, L. S.
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Shamlaye, Conrad F.
Seychelles, Mahe
Ministry of Health Seychelles
Gunzler, Douglas
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Watson, Gene E.
United States, Rochester
Eastman Institute for Oral Health
Wijngaarden, Edwin Van
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Zarȩba, Graźyna
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Klein, Jonathan D.
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
United States, Itasca
American Academy of Pediatrics
Clarkson, Thomas William
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Strain, J. J.
United Kingdom, Coleraine
Ulster University
Myers, Gary J.
United States, Rochester
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Statistics
Citations: 106
Authors: 13
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.neuro.2011.08.003
ISSN:
0161813X
e-ISSN:
18729711
Research Areas
Maternal And Child Health
Mental Health
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Substance Abuse
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Locations
Seychelles