Reference
Ghassabian, A., van den Dries, M., Trasande, L., Lamballais, S., Spaan, S., Martinez-Moral, M-P., ... Guxens, M. (2023). Prenatal exposure to common plasticizers: a longitudinal study on phthalates, brain volumetric measures, and IQ in youth. Molecular Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02225-6
Review
The paper by Ghassabian et al. (2023) explores the under-researched area of prenatal phthalate exposure, specifically its associations with brain volumetric differences and cognitive development in youth. Drawing from a cohort of 775 mother-child pairs from the Generation R study, the authors leveraged both prenatal maternal urine phthalate levels and subsequent T1-weighted MRI scans of the children at age 10. They aimed to establish correlations between prenatal phthalate exposure and brain volume and to explore if these brain measures mediated an association with IQ levels at age 14.
Findings reveal that higher maternal concentrations of monoethyl phthalate (mEP) during pregnancy were linked to smaller total gray matter volumes in 10-year-old offspring. Notably, these volume differences partially mediated the connection between higher mEP levels and lower child IQ, accounting for 18% of the effect. Gender-specific effects were also reported; in girls, there was an association of higher monoisobutyl phthalate (mIBP) with decreased cerebral white matter volumes, which mediated the link between increased mIBP and reduced IQ. These results underscore the potential neurotoxic effects of phthalates on developing brains, signaling alarm for their ubiquitous presence in consumer products.
While this research paves the way for understanding the neurodevelopmental implications of phthalates, there are aspects to consider for future studies. Primarily, the question arises on potential confounding variables, such as socio-economic status or other environmental factors, that might influence the observed associations. Furthermore, exploring potential mechanisms behind these observed changes would provide deeper insight. Notwithstanding, Ghassabian et al.'s study shines a light on the pressing need to re-evaluate and potentially regulate the use of phthalates in consumer products.
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