Birth weight and cognitive ability in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Grove, Benjamin; Lim, Shujing Jane; Gale, Catharine R.; Shenkin, Susan D.

doi:10.1016/j.intell.2017.02.001

Cited by 20 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Based on this research, the results showed that there was a significant relationship between birth weight and IQ (p <0.05). This study was in line with several other studies [13,14]. Children who have low birth weight have brain cell deficiency because when in the womb have a lack of nutrient intake, while the nutrient intake needed in the process of growing brain development during fetal [15].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Association Between Birth Weight and Other Factors with the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Student of SMP Negeri 200 Jakarta in 2013

Abadini¹,

Pujonarti²

2019

KLS

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Association Between Birth Weight and Other Factors with the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Student of SMP Negeri 200 Jakarta in 2013

Abadini¹,

Pujonarti²

2019

KLS

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“…In some studies in this review, relatively lower overall effect sizes and a lack of substantial association between birth size and cognitive function in late life may be a reflection of a diminished impact of early factors, as other factors that mitigated these initial differences and reduced or eliminated their influence in later adult life come into play; these may include later nutrition, education and occupation status . Both birth weight and socioeconomic position in early life are associated with cognitive function in childhood and adulthood, although postnatal growth and development is thought to be more important than prenatal factors . Cognition in late life is impacted by a cumulative effect of nutrition, education, social, and family environment in early and midlife .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Birth weight and head circumference at birth are indicators of intrauterine growth and brain development, respectively . Larger birth weight, the most widely researched birth size measure, is associated with better cognitive function and higher intelligence from infancy through the third decade of life in several populations and countries independent of social background . This association of birth weight with cognition occurs across the whole spectrum of birth weight rather than being confined to an extreme group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This association of birth weight with cognition occurs across the whole spectrum of birth weight rather than being confined to an extreme group. However, the strength of this association is known to diminish as individuals reach middle age, and associations with growth in early life may not persist beyond midlife …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a systematic review conducted in 2015, Grove and colleagues examined the relationship between birth weight and general cognitive ability in non‐clinical adult populations . This included 1 122 858 participants aged between 18 to 78.4 years from 19 studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Size at birth and cognitive ability in late life: A systematic review

Krishna

Jones

Maden

et al. 2019

Int J Geriat Psychiatry

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Introduction Recent evidence suggests that growth restriction in utero may lead to neurocognitive disorders in late life, either through impaired brain development or adverse metabolic programming. Methods Systematic review of literature investigating the relationship between size at birth and cognitive abilities in late life. The search, data extraction, and rating for the quality of reporting were conducted independently by two researchers. Results Of 533 selected studies, 11 were included in this systematic review and 10 of these were from high‐income setting. Of these 11 studies, eight indicated that lower birth weight is a risk factor for lower cognitive function in late life, at least in high‐income countries. The reported effect sizes were small and it was not possible to conduct meta‐analyses because of clinical heterogeneity Discussion A modest association of lower birth weight with lower cognitive abilities in late life is consistent with persisting effects of the prenatal environment on brain function. As with all observational studies, confounding is an alternative explanation. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms.

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Do prenatal factors shape the risk for dementia?: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence for the prenatal origins of dementia

Wiegersma

Boots

Langendam

et al. 2023

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

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Purpose Prenatal factors such as maternal stress, infection and nutrition affect fetal brain development and may also influence later risk for dementia. The purpose of this systematic review was to provide an overview of all studies which investigated the association between prenatal factors and later risk for dementia. Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE and Embase for original human studies reporting on associations between prenatal factors and dementia from inception to 23 November 2022. Prenatal factors could be any factor assessed during pregnancy, at birth or postnatally, provided they were indicative of a prenatal exposure. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. We followed PRISMA guidelines for reporting. Results A total of 68 studies met eligibility criteria (including millions of individuals), assessing maternal age (N = 30), paternal age (N = 22), birth order (N = 15), season of birth (N = 16), place of birth (N = 13), prenatal influenza pandemic (N = 1) or Chinese famine exposure (N = 1), birth characteristics (N = 3) and prenatal hormone exposure (N = 4). We observed consistent results for birth in a generally less optimal environment (e.g. high infant mortality area) being associated with higher dementia risk. Lower and higher birth weight and prenatal famine exposure were associated with higher dementia risk. The studies on season of birth, digit ratio, prenatal influenza pandemic exposure, parental age and birth order showed inconsistent results and were hampered by relatively high risk of bias. Conclusion Our findings suggest that some prenatal factors, especially those related to a suboptimal prenatal environment, are associated with an increased dementia risk. As these associations may be confounded by factors such as parental socioeconomic status, more research is needed to examine the potential causal role of the prenatal environment in dementia.

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Birth weight and cognitive ability in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 20 publications

References 68 publications

Association Between Birth Weight and Other Factors with the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Student of SMP Negeri 200 Jakarta in 2013

Association Between Birth Weight and Other Factors with the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Student of SMP Negeri 200 Jakarta in 2013

Size at birth and cognitive ability in late life: A systematic review

Do prenatal factors shape the risk for dementia?: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence for the prenatal origins of dementia

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