Effects of prenatal exposure to particulate matter air pollution on corpus callosum and behavioral problems in children.

Objective: Air pollution (AP) may affect neurodevelopment, but studies about the effects of AP on the growing human brain are still scarce. We aimed to investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to AP on lateral ventricles (LV) and corpus callosum (CC) volumes in children and to determine whether the induced brain changes are associated with behavioral problems.

Methods: Among the children recruited through a set of representative schools of the city of Barcelona, (Spain) in the Brain Development and Air Pollution Ultrafine Particles in School Children (BREATHE) study, 186 typically developing participants aged 8-12 years underwent brain MRI on the same 1.

Association between Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution and Working Memory and Attention.

Background: Although previous studies have reported negative associations between exposure to air pollution and cognition, studies of the effects of prenatal and postnatal exposures in early childhood have been limited.

Objectives: We sought to assess the role exposure to fine particulate matter ([Formula: see text]) during different prenatal and postnatal windows may play in children's cognitive development at school age.

Methods: Within the Brain Development and Air Pollution Ultrafine Particles in School Children (BREATHE) Project, we estimated residential [Formula: see text] exposures by land use regression for the prenatal period and first seven postnatal years of 2,221 children from Barcelona, Spain.

Poor mothers, unhealthy children: the transmission of health inequalities in the INMA study, Spain.

Background: The health of pregnant women and their fetuses are especially sensitive to socioeconomic conditions. This study analyzes the impact of maternal socioeconomic status (SES), evaluated by occupation and maternal education level, in preterm births (PTBs) and in small for gestational age (SGA) fetuses, considering the effect of the potential mediating factors on the SES and birth outcomes.

Methods: A total of 2497 mother/newborn dyads from the INMA-Spain project were studied.

Traffic-Related Air Pollution, ε4 Status, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes among School Children Enrolled in the BREATHE Project (Catalonia, Spain).

Background: Traffic-related air pollution is emerging as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and impaired brain development. Individual differences in vulnerability to air pollution may involve the ε4 allele of () gene, the primary genetic risk factor for AD.

Objective: We analyzed whether the association between traffic air pollution and neurodevelopmental outcomes is modified by ε4 status in children.

The Association between Lifelong Greenspace Exposure and 3-Dimensional Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Barcelona Schoolchildren.

Background: Proponents of the biophilia hypothesis believe that contact with nature, including green spaces, has a crucial role in brain development in children. Currently, however, we are not aware of evidence linking such exposure with potential effects on brain structure.

Objective: We determined whether lifelong exposure to residential surrounding greenness is associated with regional differences in brain volume based on 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3D MRI) among children attending primary school.

Iodine intake from supplements and diet during pregnancy and child cognitive and motor development: the INMA Mother and Child Cohort Study.

Background: The effect of mild-to-moderate maternal iodine deficiency on the neuropsychological development of their offspring is uncertain. We aimed to assess the association between iodine status during pregnancy and the cognitive and motor development of children at 4-5 years.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in four Spanish regions with recruitment of pregnant women between 2003 and 2008 and follow-up of their children up to 4-5 years (mean (SD)=4.

Impact of commuting exposure to traffic-related air pollution on cognitive development in children walking to school.

A few studies have found associations between the exposure to traffic-related air pollution at school and/or home and cognitive development. The impact on cognitive development of the exposure to air pollutants during commuting has not been explored. We aimed to assess the role of the exposure to traffic-related air pollutants during walking commute to school on cognitive development of children.

Longitudinal association between air pollution exposure at school and cognitive development in school children over a period of 3.5 years.

Introduction: Recently, we showed that exposure to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) at school was negatively associated with cognitive development, specifically working memory and inattentiveness, in primary schoolchildren during a course of 12 months. The persistence of such associations over longer periods remains as an open question.

Objective: To study the longitudinal association between TRAPs at school and cognitive development over a period of 3.

Serum levels of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in women from different European countries and possible relationships with lifestyle and diet.

To determine possible effects of lifestyle, diet, housing and professional activities on differences in individual levels of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in serum of women, 20 to 40years of age, in The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway and Spain. BDE-209 was measured in serum of 145 female volunteers with no known occupational exposure from Norway, United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Spain. Blood levels of BDE-209 in a subgroup of 40 Dutch women were determined twice at a six months' interval.

A Longitudinal Study on Attention Development in Primary School Children with and without Teacher-Reported Symptoms of ADHD.

Prospective longitudinal studies are essential in characterizing cognitive trajectories, yet few of them have been reported on the development of attention processes in children. We aimed to explore attention development in normal children and children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in a repeated measures design using the attention network test (ANT). The population sample included 2,835 children (49.

Effect of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on basal ganglia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in primary school children.

Background: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been proposed as environmental risk factors for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The effects of these pollutants on brain structures potentially involved in the pathophysiology of ADHD are unknown.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PAHs on basal ganglia volumes and ADHD symptoms in school children.

Comparison of urinary iodine levels in women of childbearing age during and after pregnancy.

Purpose: Median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) is used to describe the iodine status of a population. However, the link between UIC and iodine intake may vary during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to compare UIC during and after pregnancy, adjusting for factors that affect iodine intake.

Association between exposure to organochlorine compounds and maternal thyroid status: Role of the iodothyronine deiodinase 1 gene.

Introduction: Exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) may interfere with thyroid hormone (TH) homeostasis. The disruption of the deiodinase (DIO) enzymes has been proposed as a mechanism of action.

Aim: To evaluate the association between exposure to OCs and TH status in pregnant women, as well as to explore the role of genetic variations in the DIO1 and DIO2 genes.

Traffic-related air pollution and spectacles use in schoolchildren.

Purpose: To investigate the association between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and use of spectacles (as a surrogate measure for myopia) in schoolchildren.

Methods: We analyzed the impact of exposure to NO2 and PM2.5 light absorbance at home (predicted by land-use regression models) and exposure to NO2 and black carbon (BC) at school (measured by monitoring campaigns) on the use of spectacles in a cohort of 2727 schoolchildren (7-10 years old) in Barcelona (2012-2015).

Identification of technical problems affecting performance of DustTrak DRX aerosol monitors.

The TSI DustTrak Aerosol Monitor is a portable real-time instrument widely used for particulate matter (PM) mass concentrations monitoring. The aim of this work is to report on issues that have arisen from the use of the latest generation models DustTrak DRX (8533 and 8534) in the BREATHE, UPTECH and IMPROVE projects that can compromise data quality. The main issue we encountered was the occurrence of sudden artefact jumps in PM concentration, which can involve an increase from a few to some hundreds of μg·m.

Traffic-related Air Pollution and Attention in Primary School Children: Short-term Association.

Background: Although air pollution's short-term effects are well understood to be marked and preventable, its acute neuropsychological effects have, to our knowledge, not yet been studied. We aim to examine the association between daily variation in traffic-related air pollution and attention.

Methods: We conducted a follow-up study from January 2012 to March 2013 in 2,687 school children from 265 classrooms in 39 schools in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain).

Green spaces and spectacles use in schoolchildren in Barcelona.

Myopia is one of the major causes of low visual acuity during childhood, and hence of the need for spectacles. It is generally more prevalent in urban areas where children are often less exposed to green spaces than in rural areas. This study evaluated the association between exposure to green space and use of spectacles (as a surrogate measure for myopia) in a cohort of 2727 schoolchildren (7-10 years old) recruited from 39 primary schools in Barcelona (2012-2015).

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Attention Function in a Population-Based Sample of Children.

Background: Attention function filters and selects behaviorally relevant information. This capacity is impaired in some psychiatric disorders and has been proposed as an endophenotype for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; however, its genetic basis remains largely unknown. This study aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) associated with attention function.

Heritability and Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Sleep Duration in Children: The EAGLE Consortium.

Study Objectives: Low or excessive sleep duration has been associated with multiple outcomes, but the biology behind these associations remains elusive. Specifically, genetic studies in children are scarce. In this study, we aimed to: (1) estimate the proportion of genetic variance of sleep duration in children attributed to common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), (2) identify novel SNPs associated with sleep duration in children, and (3) investigate the genetic overlap of sleep duration in children and related metabolic and psychiatric traits.

Video gaming in school children: How much is enough?

Objective: Despite extensive debate, the proposed benefits and risks of video gaming in young people remain to be empirically clarified, particularly as regards an optimal level of use.

Methods: In 2,442 children aged 7 to 11 years, we investigated relationships between weekly video game use, selected cognitive abilities, and conduct-related problems. A large subgroup of these children (n = 260) was further examined with magnetic resonance imaging approximately 1 year later to assess the impact of video gaming on brain structure and function.

Developmental Trajectories in Primary Schoolchildren Using n-Back Task.

Background: Neuropsychological instruments to assess cognitive trajectories during childhood in epidemiological studies are needed. This would improve neurodevelopment characterization in order to identify its potential determinants. We aimed to study whether repeated measures of n-back, a working memory task, detect developmental trajectories in schoolchildren during a 1-year follow-up.

Physical Activity and Cognitive Trajectories in Schoolchildren.

Purpose: The evidence regarding the role of physical activity (PA) habits on cognitive development in children is still scarce. Our study aimed to assess the association between PA habits and cognitive growth patterns, including working memory (WM) and inattentiveness in a large sample of primary schoolchildren.

Method: This study included 2,897 children between 7 and 10 years old.

Airborne copper exposure in school environments associated with poorer motor performance and altered basal ganglia.

Introduction: Children are more vulnerable to the effects of environmental elements. A variety of air pollutants are among the identified factors causing neural damage at toxic concentrations. It is not obvious, however, to what extent the tolerated high levels of air pollutants are able to alter brain development.

Neurodevelopmental Deceleration by Urban Fine Particles from Different Emission Sources: A Longitudinal Observational Study.

Background: A few studies have reported associations between traffic-related air pollution exposure at schools and cognitive development. The role of PM components or sources other than traffic on cognitive development has been little explored.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the role of PM sources in school air on cognitive development.