Placental pathology predicts infantile neurodevelopment

Abstract

The aim of present study was to investigate the association of placental pathological findings with infantile neurodevelopment during the early 40 months of life. 258 singleton infants were enrolled in the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children (HBC Study) whose placentas were saved in our pathological division. To assess the infantile neurodevelopment, we used Mullen Scales of Early Learning (gross motor, visual reception, fine motor, receptive language, expressive language) at 10, 14, 18, 24, 32, and 40 months. For obtaining placental blocks, we carried out random sampling and assessed eleven pathological findings using mixed modeling identified ‘Accelerated villous maturation’, ‘Maternal vascular malperfusion’, and ‘Delayed villous maturation’ as significant predictors of the relatively lower MSEL composite scores in the neurodevelopmental milestones by Mullen Scales of Early Learning. On the other hand, ‘Avascular villi’, ‘Thrombosis or Intramural fibrin deposition’, ‘Fetal vascular malperfusion’, and ‘Fetal inflammatory response’ were significant predictors of the relatively higher MSEL composite scores in the neurodevelopmental milestones by Mullen Scales of Early Learning. In conclusion, the present study is the first to report that some placental pathological findings are bidirectionally associated with the progression of infantile neurodevelopment during 10–40 months of age.

Paternal obesity alters the sperm epigenome and is associated with changes in the placental transcriptome and cellular composition

“…This is in line with paternal obesity associated to the developmental origins of neurological, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease in offspring (Andescavage & Limperopoulos, 2021;Binder et al, 2015Binder et al, , 2012Chambers et al, 2016;Cropley et al, 2016;de Castro Barbosa et al, 2016;T. Fullston et al, 2012;Tod Fullston et al, 2013;Grandjean et al, 2015;Huypens et al, 2016;Jazwiec et al, 2022;Mitchell et al, 2011;Ng et al, 2010;Pepin et al, 2022;Perez-Garcia et al, 2018;Terashima et al, 2015;Thornburg et al, 2016;Thornburg & Marshall, 2015;Ueda et al, 2022;Wei et al, 2014). The brain-placenta and heartplacenta axes refer to their developmental linkage to the trophoblast which produces various hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth factors that are central to brain and heart development (Parrettini, Caroli, & Torlone, 2020;Rosenfeld, 2021).…”

“…This is further illustrated in studies where placental pathology is linked to cardiovascular and heart abnormalities (Andescavage & Limperopoulos, 2021; Thornburg et al, 2016; Thornburg & Marshall, 2015). For example, in a study of the relationship between placental pathology and neurodevelopment of infants, possible hypoxic conditions were a significant predictor of lower Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Ueda et al, 2022). A connecting factor between the neural and cardiovascular phenotypes is the neural crest cells which make a critical contribution to the developing heart and brain (Hemberger et al, 2020; Perez-Garcia et al, 2018).…”

Association of Placental Pathology with Physical and Neuronal Development of Infants: A Narrative Review and Reclassification of the Literature by the Consensus Statement of the Amsterdam Placental Workshop Group

“…In the present study, each of the descriptions of pathological findings was reclassified as positive or negative by three researchers who specialize in placental pathology (Drs. Chizuko Yaguchi, Naomi Furuta-Isomura, and Megumi Ueda) [ 30 , 36 , 37 ].…”

“…In a previous study using APWGCS criteria, we analyzed the pathology of 258 whole placentas from singleton pregnancies enrolled in the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children [ 27 ] and identified maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) as a significant predictor of lower body weight and deciduitis as a significant predictor of a small ponderal index [ 28 ]. Moreover, some pathological findings, such as accelerated villous maturation, were significant predictors of lower Mullen Scales of Early Learning (gross motor, visual reception, fine motor, receptive language, expressive language) at 10, 14, 18, 24, 32, and 40 months [ 29 ], whereas others, such as fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM), were significant predictors of higher MSEL composite scores in relation to neurodevelopmental milestones [ 30 ]. In the present study, we hypothesized that reevaluating the previous literature by reclassifying their placental pathological statements using APWGCS criteria would provide insight into establishing placental pathology as a clinically useful predictor of infantile development.…”

What is known about neuroplacentology in fetal growth restriction and in preterm infants: A narrative review of literature

“…Severe MVM is often associated with autism spectrum disorders (15), cerebral palsy, periventricular hemorrhage (14,25). Probably, MVM may be responsible for hypoxic conditions i n f e t a l b l oo d , w hi c h m ay c o n t r i bu t e t o a l t e r e d neurodevelopment during the early infantile period (16).…”