Double advantage of parental education for child educational achievement: the role of parenting and child intelligence.

Background: Parental education is one of the best predictors of child school achievement. Higher parental education is not only associated with higher child intelligence, but children from highly educated parents also perform better in school due to other family related factors. This study evaluates the relation between parental education, child non-verbal intelligence and parenting practices with child school achievement.

Epigenome-wide contributions to individual differences in childhood phenotypes: a GREML approach.

Background: DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism involved in human development. Numerous epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have investigated the associations of DNA methylation at single CpG sites with childhood outcomes. However, the overall contribution of DNA methylation across the genome (R) towards childhood phenotypes is unknown.

Hospital healthcare utilizers with medical and psychiatric claims in the Netherlands: a nationwide study.

Background: Psychiatric and medical multimorbidity is associated with low quality of life, poor functioning and excess mortality. Differences in healthcare utilization between those receiving co-occurring medical and psychiatric healthcare (HUMPCs) and those only receiving medical (HUMCs) or only psychiatric healthcare (HUPCs) may indicate differences in care accessibility, help-seeking behavior and the risk patterns of medical illness. We aimed to assess the occurrence of psychiatric diagnostic groups in HUMPCs compared to HUPCs and to compare their medical and psychiatric claims expenditures.

Polygenic prediction of educational attainment within and between families from genome-wide association analyses in 3 million individuals.

We conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of educational attainment (EA) in a sample of ~3 million individuals and identify 3,952 approximately uncorrelated genome-wide-significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A genome-wide polygenic predictor, or polygenic index (PGI), explains 12-16% of EA variance and contributes to risk prediction for ten diseases. Direct effects (i.

Cognitive performance in children and adolescents with psychopathology traits: A cross-sectional multicohort study in the general population.

Psychopathology and cognitive development are closely related. Assessing the relationship between multiple domains of psychopathology and cognitive performance can elucidate which cognitive tasks are related to specific domains of psychopathology. This can help build theory and improve clinical decision-making in the future.

Meta-analysis of epigenome-wide associations between DNA methylation at birth and childhood cognitive skills.

Cognitive skills are a strong predictor of a wide range of later life outcomes. Genetic and epigenetic associations across the genome explain some of the variation in general cognitive abilities in the general population and it is plausible that epigenetic associations might arise from prenatal environmental exposures and/or genetic variation early in life. We investigated the association between cord blood DNA methylation at birth and cognitive skills assessed in children from eight pregnancy cohorts within the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium across overall (total N = 2196), verbal (total N = 2206) and non-verbal cognitive scores (total N = 3300).

A Censored Mixture Model for Modeling Risk Taking.

Risk behavior has substantial consequences for health, well-being, and general behavior. The association between real-world risk behavior and risk behavior on experimental tasks is well documented, but their modeling is challenging for several reasons. First, many experimental risk tasks may end prematurely leading to censored observations.

Predicting persistence of hallucinations from childhood to adolescence.

Background: Psychotic experiences predict adverse health outcomes, particularly if they are persistent. However, it is unclear what distinguishes persistent from transient psychotic experiences.

Aims: In a large population-based cohort, we aimed to (a) describe the course of hallucinatory experiences from childhood to adolescence, (b) compare characteristics of youth with persistent and remittent hallucinatory experiences, and (c) examine prediction models for persistence.

Long-term association of pregnancy and maternal brain structure: the Rotterdam Study.

The peripartum period is the highest risk interval for the onset or exacerbation of psychiatric illness in women's lives. Notably, pregnancy and childbirth have been associated with short-term structural and functional changes in the maternal human brain. Yet the long-term effects of pregnancy on maternal brain structure remain unknown.

Maternal early-pregnancy ferritin and offspring neurodevelopment: A prospective cohort study from gestation to school age.

Background: Iron plays a role in many key processes in the developing brain. During pregnancy, iron supplementation is widely recommended to prevent and treat iron deficiency; however, the prevalence of iron deficiency and the risk of iron overload vary greatly between populations. Evidence on the role of high levels of maternal ferritin, a storage iron marker during pregnancy in relation to offspring neurodevelopment is lacking.

Developmental Changes in Dynamic Functional Connectivity From Childhood Into Adolescence.

The longitudinal study of typical neurodevelopment is key for understanding deviations due to specific factors, such as psychopathology. However, research utilizing repeated measurements remains scarce. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have traditionally examined connectivity as 'static' during the measurement period.

Prenatal Exposure to Nonpersistent Chemical Mixtures and Offspring IQ and Emotional and Behavioral Problems.

Prenatal exposure to nonpersistent chemicals such as phthalates, bisphenols, and organophosphate (OP) pesticides is ubiquitous and occurs in mixtures. So far, epidemiological studies investigating neurodevelopmental consequences of these exposures have mainly been restricted to single-pollutant models. Thus, we studied the association between prenatal exposure to nonpersistent chemical mixtures and child IQ and emotional and behavioral problems.

Genome-wide analysis of mitochondrial DNA copy number reveals loci implicated in nucleotide metabolism, platelet activation, and megakaryocyte proliferation.

Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) measured from blood specimens is a minimally invasive marker of mitochondrial function that exhibits both inter-individual and intercellular variation. To identify genes involved in regulating mitochondrial function, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 465,809 White individuals from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium and the UK Biobank (UKB). We identified 133 SNPs with statistically significant, independent effects associated with mtDNA-CN across 100 loci.

Loneliness, Not Social Support, Is Associated with Cognitive Decline and Dementia Across Two Longitudinal Population-Based Cohorts.

Background: Poor social health is likely associated with cognitive decline and risk of dementia; however, studies show inconsistent results. Additionally, few studies separate social health components or control for mental health.

Objective: To investigate whether loneliness and social support are independently associated with cognitive decline and risk of dementia, and whether depressive symptoms confound the association.

Prenatal Exposure to Nonpersistent Chemical Mixtures and Fetal Growth: A Population-Based Study.

Background: Prenatal exposure to mixtures of nonpersistent chemicals is universal. Most studies examining these chemicals in association with fetal growth have been restricted to single exposure models, ignoring their potentially cumulative impact.

Objective: We aimed to assess the association between prenatal exposure to a mixture of phthalates, bisphenols, and organophosphate (OP) pesticides and fetal measures of head circumference, femur length, and weight.

Are all threats equal? Associations of childhood exposure to physical attack versus threatened violence with preadolescent brain structure.

Background: Neurodevelopmental studies of childhood adversity often define threatening experiences as those involving harm or the threat of harm. Whether effects differ between experiences involving harm ("physical attack") versus the threat of harm alone ("threatened violence") remains underexplored. We hypothesized that while both types of experiences would be associated with smaller preadolescent global and corticolimbic brain volumes, associations with physical attack would be greater.

Estimated all-day and evening whole-brain radiofrequency electromagnetic fields doses, and sleep in preadolescents.

Objective: To investigate the association of estimated all-day and evening whole-brain radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) doses with sleep disturbances and objective sleep measures in preadolescents.

Methods: We included preadolescents aged 9-12 years from two population-based birth cohorts, the Dutch Generation R Study (n = 974) and the Spanish INfancia y Medio Ambiente Project (n = 868). All-day and evening overall whole-brain RF-EMF doses (mJ/kg/day) were estimated for several RF-EMF sources including mobile and Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) phone calls (named phone calls), other mobile phone uses, tablet use, laptop use (named screen activities), and far-field sources.

Environmental noise exposure and emotional, aggressive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-related symptoms in children from two European birth cohorts.

Background: Environmental noise exposure is increasing but limited research has been done on the association with emotional, aggressive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms in children.

Objective: To analyze the association between prenatal and childhood environmental noise exposure and emotional, aggressive, and ADHD-related symptoms in children from two European birth cohorts.

Methods: We included 534 children from the Spanish INMA-Sabadell Project and 7424 from the Dutch Generation R Study.

Prenatal maternal and cord blood vitamin D concentrations and negative affectivity in infancy.

Higher maternal vitamin D concentration during pregnancy is associated with better child mental health. Negative affectivity, an early-emerging temperamental trait, indicates an increased risk of psychopathology. We investigated if maternal early/mid-pregnancy 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and neonatal cord blood 25(OH)D concentrations are associated with Negative affectivity in infancy.

Associations Between Maternal Depression, Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the associations of depressive symptoms and antidepressant use during pregnancy with the risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age (SGA), and low Apgar scores.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, and PsycINFO up to June 2016.

The experience of life events and body composition in middle childhood: a population-based study.

While studies suggest potential influences of childhood adversities on obesity development in adulthood, less is known about the short-term association in children. We examined the association between a wide range of life events experienced in the first ten years of life (including maltreatment and milder adversities) and body composition in 5333 ten-year old Dutch children. In structured interviews, mothers retrospectively reported on their children's experience of 24 events.