@article{89a7eea62eb44c6b85c8aea6194d782a,
title = "Prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with structural changes in the neonatal brain",
abstract = "Background: Prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with adverse neurologic consequences in childhood. However, the relationship between in utero exposure to air pollution and neonatal brain development is unclear. Methods: We modelled maternal exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) at postcode level between date of conception to date of birth and studied the effect of prenatal air pollution exposure on neonatal brain morphology in 469 (207 male) healthy neonates, with gestational age of ≥36 weeks. Infants underwent MR neuroimaging at 3 Tesla at 41.29 (36.71–45.14) weeks post-menstrual age (PMA) as part of the developing human connectome project (dHCP). Single pollutant linear regression and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) were performed to assess the relationship between air pollution and brain morphology, adjusting for confounders and correcting for false discovery rate. Results: Higher exposure to PM10 and lower exposure to NO2 was strongly canonically correlated to a larger relative ventricular volume, and moderately associated with larger relative size of the cerebellum. Modest associations were detected with higher exposure to PM10 and lower exposure to NO2 and smaller relative cortical grey matter and amygdala and hippocampus, and larger relaive brainstem and extracerebral CSF volume. No associations were found with white matter or deep grey nuclei volume. Conclusions: Our findings show that prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with altered brain morphometry in the neonatal period, albeit with opposing results for NO2 and PM10. This finding provides further evidence that reducing levels of maternal exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy should be a public health priority and highlights the importance of understanding the impacts of air pollution on this critical development window.",
keywords = "Brain, MRI, Neonate, Prenatal air pollution exposure",
author = "Brendan Bos and Ben Barratt and Dafnis Batalle and Oliver Gale-Grant and Hughes, {Emer J.} and Sean Beevers and Lucilio Cordero-Grande and Price, {Anthony N.} and Jana Hutter and Hajnal, {Joseph V.} and Kelly, {Frank J.} and {David Edwards}, A. and Counsell, {Serena J.}",
note = "Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge the contributions of our participants and their families; without whom, this work would not have been possible. We thank the nurses and midwives involved in data collection and the wider Developing Human Connectome team. This work received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/20072013/ECR grant agreement no [319456] dHCP project). This paper represents independent research partly funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. This work was supported by core funding from the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering [WT203148/Z/16/Z]. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the MRC, the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. The funders had no involvement in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication. This work was supported by a Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Grant (grant number MR/T502595/1) as part of the funding for the MRC Centre for Environment and Health (MR/S019669/1). Funding Information: This work received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union{\textquoteright}s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/20072013/ECR grant agreement no [319456] dHCP project). Funding Information: This work was supported by a Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Grant (grant number MR/T502595/1) as part of the funding for the MRC Centre for Environment and Health (MR/S019669/1). Funding Information: This paper represents independent research partly funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King{\textquoteright}s College London. This work was supported by core funding from the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering [WT203148/Z/16/Z]. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the MRC, the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. The funders had no involvement in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023",
year = "2023",
month = apr,
doi = "10.1016/j.envint.2023.107921",
language = "English",
volume = "174",
journal = "Environment International",
issn = "0160-4120",
publisher = "Elsevier Limited",
}