Bisphenol A exposure and behavioral problems among inner city children at 7–9 years of age

Abstract

Background Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous endocrine disrupting compound. Several experimental and epidemiological studies suggest that gestational BPA exposure can lead to neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems in early-life, but results have been inconsistent. We previously reported that prenatal BPA exposure may affect child behavior and differently among boys and girls at ages 3-5 years. Objectives We investigated the association of prenatal and early childhood BPA exposure with behavioral outcomes in 7-9 year old minority children and hypothesized that we would observe the same sex-specific pattern observed at earlier ages. Methods African-American and Dominican women enrolled in an inner-city prospective cohort study and their children were followed from mother’s pregnancy through children’s age 7-9 years. Women during the third trimester of pregnancy and children at ages 3 and 5 years provided spot urine samples. BPA exposure was categorized by tertiles of BPA urinary concentrations. The Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) was administered at ages 7 and 9 to assess multiple child behavior domains. Associations between behavior and prenatal (maternal) BPA concentrations and behavior and postnatal (child) BPA concentration were assessed via Poisson regression in models stratified by sex. These models accounted for potential confounders including prenatal or postnatal urinary BPA concentrations, child age at CBCL assessment, ethnicity, gestational age, maternal intelligence, maternal education and demoralization, quality of child’s home environment, prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure, and prenatal mono-n-butyl phthalate concentration. Results The direction of the associations differed between boys and girls. Among boys (n=115), high prenatal BPA concentration (upper tertile vs. lower two tertiles) was associated with increased internalizing (β=0.41, p<0.0001) and externalizing composite scores (β=0.40, p<0.0001) and with their corresponding individual syndrome scales. There was a general decrease in scores among girls that was significant for the internalizing composite score (β= −0.17, p=0.04) (n=135). After accounting for possible selection bias, the results remained consistent for boys. Conversely, high postnatal BPA concentration was associated with increased behaviors on both the internalizing composite (β=0.30, p=0.0002) and externalizing composite scores (β=0.33, p<0.0001) and individual subscores in girls but fewer symptoms in boys. These results remained significant in girls after accounting for selection bias. Conclusion These results suggest BPA exposure may affect childhood behavioral outcomes in a sex-specific manner and differently depending on timing of exposure.

Bisphenol A, bisphenol F and bisphenol S affect differently 5α-reductase expression and dopamine–serotonin systems in the prefrontal cortex of juvenile female rats

“…Consistent with this idea, Braun et al (2009Braun et al ( , 2011 observed that gestational BPA exposure is associated with anxious and depressive behaviors, as well as altered executive function, especially in girls. However, the direction of change and magnitude of BPA effects on boys and girls differ among several epidemiological studies (Harley et al, 2013;Palanza et al, 2008;Perera et al, 2012;Roen et al, 2015). This may depend on the timing of the exposure (Roen et al, 2015).…”

“…Early-life BPA exposure interferes with brain sexual dimorphism, normal neocortical development and synapse formation (Wolstenholme et al, 2011). In addition to animal studies (Palanza et al, 2008), epidemiological evidences suggest that childhood behavioral, emotional, and learning development might be altered in human by BPA (Braun et al, 2009(Braun et al, , 2011Harley et al, 2013;Perera et al, 2012;Roen et al, 2015). As a consequence, the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) expressed in 2008 some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain and behavior of fetuses, infants and children at current human exposures to it.…”

Developmental neurotoxicants and the vulnerable male brain: a systematic review of suspected neurotoxicants that disproportionally affect males

“…A study by Roen et al (2015) investigated the association between prenatal and early childhood BPA exposure and the subsequent behavioral outcomes in 7-9-year-old minority children (n=250). Both boys and girls were affected, but the direction of the associations differed between boys and girls.…”

Identification of dopamine- and serotonin-related genes modulated by bisphenol A in the prefrontal cortex of male rats

“…Emerging data suggest a potent effect of developmental http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.06.061 0045-6535/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. exposure to BPA on neurogenesis and myelination processes (Tiwari et al, 2014a,b), brain organization, and behavior (Roen et al, 2015;Wolstenholme et al, 2011). BPA might also contribute to the incidence of other mental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Harley et al, 2013) and schizophrenia (Brown, 2009).…”