Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, reduced hippocampal subfield volumes, and word reading.

Reading difficulties and exposure to air pollution are both disproportionately high among youth living in economically disadvantaged contexts. Critically, variance in reading skills in youth living in higher socioeconomic status (SES) contexts largely derives from genetic factors, whereas environmental factors explain more of the variance in reading skills among youth living in lower SES contexts. Although reading research has focused closely on the psychosocial environment, little focus has been paid to the effects of the chemical environment.

The role of the hippocampus in working memory and word reading: Novel neural correlates of reading among youth living in the context of economic disadvantage.

A left-lateralized cortical reading circuit underlies successful reading and fails to engage in individuals with reading problems. Studies identifying this circuit included youth from economically advantaged backgrounds and focused on cortical, not subcortical, structures. However, among youth with low scores on reading tests who are living in the context of economic disadvantage, this brain network is actively engaged during reading, despite persistent reading problems.

Preschool mother-child emotional preparation program leads to significant improvement in autonomic regulation: a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Many studies have documented the profound impact that the mother-child relationship has on child sociality and behavior. However, the biological mechanisms that govern the relationship are poorly understood. We developed a mother-child emotional preparation program (MCEP), based on a novel autonomic nervous system learning mechanism.

Prenatal exposure to air pollution during the early and middle stages of pregnancy is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes at ages 1 to 3 years.

Background: A large body of data shows that fetal brain development is vulnerable to disruption by air pollution experienced by the mother during pregnancy, adversely affecting cognitive and psychomotor capabilities during childhood (De Asis-Cruz et al., Biol Psychiatry 7:480-90, 2022; Morgan ZEM et al., Environ Health 22:11, 2023).