The INMA—INfancia y Medio Ambiente—(Environment and Childhood) project: More than 10 years contributing to environmental and neuropsychological research

Gascón, Mireia; Guxens, Mònica; Vrijheid, Martine; Torrent, Maties; Ibarluzea, Jesús; Fano, Eduardo; Llop, Sabrina; Ballester, Ferrán; Fernández, Mariana F.; Tardón, Adonina; Fernández-Somoano, Ana; Sunyer, Jordi

doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.02.008

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 71 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This study is among the first to assess the association between iAs exposure, mainly from diet, and neuropsychological development of children taking part in a well-designed cohort (Gascon et al, 2017), and despite the relatively small size of the study population and relatively low level of iAs exposure, we observed associations between children's iAs exposure and the scores in various neuropsychological function scales. Our results should be interpreted cautiously given the cross-sectional design of the study that precludes us from determining temporality and thus limits any inferences about causality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Inorganic arsenic exposure and neuropsychological development of children of 4–5 years of age living in Spain

Signes-Pastor

Vioque

Navarrete-Muñoz

et al. 2019

Environmental Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Early-life exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) may adversely impact health later in life. To date, evidence of iAs adverse effects on children's neurodevelopment comes mainly from populations highly exposed to contaminated water with conflicting results. Little is known about those effects among populations with low iAs exposure from food intake. We investigated the cross-sectional association between exposure to iAs and neurodevelopment scores among children living in Spain whose main route of exposure was diet. Arsenic species concentrations in urine from 400 children was determined, and the sum of urinary iAs, dimethylarsinic acid, and monomethylarsonic acid was used to estimate iAs exposure. The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities was used to assess children's neuropsychological development at about 4-5 years of age. The median (interquartile range) of children's sum of urinary iAs, MMA, and DMA was 4.85 (2.74-7.54) μg/L, and in adjusted linear regression analyses the natural logarithm transformed concentrations showed an inverse association with children's motor functions (β, [95% confidence interval]; global scores (-2.29, [-3.95,-0.63]), gross scores (-1.92, [-3.52,-0.31]) and fine scores (-1.54, [-3.06,-0.03]). In stratified analyses by sex, negative associations were observed with the scores in the quantitative index (-2.59, [-5.36, 0.17]) and working memory function (-2.56, [-5.36, 0.24]) only in boys. Our study suggests that relatively low iAs exposure may impair children's neuropsychological development and that sex-related differences may be present in susceptibility to iAs related effects; however, our findings should be interpreted with caution given the possibility of residual confounding.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Inorganic arsenic exposure and neuropsychological development of children of 4–5 years of age living in Spain

Signes-Pastor

Vioque

Navarrete-Muñoz

et al. 2019

Environmental Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our results are based on data collected in three sub-cohorts established between 2003 and 2008 in the regions of Valencia, Sabadell (Catalonia), and Gipuzkoa (Basque Country). Details on recruitment strategies, general characteristics of the cohort samples and study design are described elsewhere [38,39].…”

Section: Study Design and Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Iron Status and Intake During Pregnancy with Neuropsychological Outcomes in Children Aged 7 Years: The Prospective Birth Cohort Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Study

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Early iron status plays an important role in prenatal neurodevelopment. Iron deficiency and high iron status have been related to alterations in child cognitive development; however, there are no data about iron intake during pregnancy with other environmental factors in relation to long term cognitive functioning of children. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between maternal iron status and iron intake during pregnancy and child neuropsychological outcomes at 7 years of age. We used data from the INMA Cohort population-based study. Iron status during pregnancy was assessed according to serum ferritin levels, and iron intake was assessed with food frequency questionnaires. Working memory, attention, and executive function were assessed in children at 7 years old with the N-Back task, Attention Network Task, and the Trail Making Test, respectively. The results show that, after controlling for potential confounders, normal maternal serum ferritin levels (from 12 mg/L to 60 mg/L) and iron intake (from 14.5 mg/day to 30.0 mg/day), respectively, were related to better scores in working memory and executive functioning in offspring. Since these functions have been associated with better academic performance and adaptation to the environment, maintaining a good state of maternal iron from the beginning of pregnancy could be a valuable strategy for the community.

show abstract

“…This situation may cause disruptions in the brain, affecting neurone structure, and consequently, psychological development (Chen and Baram 2016). The exosystem ring may include even more qualitatively different variables, such as those that directly affect development, e.g., exposure to neurotoxic contaminants in the air, water or food (Gascon et al 2017); or others, such as parents' education level or socioeconomic status, which while not being strictly interactive in nature nevertheless affect the quality of relationships indirectly (Meyrose et al 2018).…”

Section: Contextual Variables That Contribute To Family Context and P...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The macrosystem covers child protection policies and positive parenting initiatives aimed at fostering conditions that could have a significant effect on the psychological development process. Some such measures include Recommendation 19 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (2006) to member states on policy to support positive parenting, measures adopted at a local level to assess family contexts and design prevention programmes focusing on positive parenting, work-life balance measures, breastfeeding support plans, promoting the use of green spaces (which has been linked to better mental health and cognitive development) and the control of environmen-tal pollutants, among others (Gascon et al 2017). Thus, the model which understands development as an epigenetic process complements Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory, while at the same time proving consistent with reality, since it is an open model that aims to recognise all those variables identified in the literature as having an influence on children's psychological development.…”

Section: Contextual Variables That Contribute To Family Context and P...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also worth highlighting that, in the early stages of child development, factors influencing the foetus during its intrauterine development are grouped under the concept of "foetal programming". The most widely studied negative (teratogenic) influences are smoking, the consumption of alcohol and other drugs, stress and exposure to neurotoxins (Gascon et al 2017). The effects of these variables are manifested in epigenetic mechanisms, which may result in low birth weight, delayed motor development and emotional and behavioural problems during childhood, among others (Woodward et al 2018).…”

Section: Family Context and Parenting Interactions That Contribute To...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Family Context, Parenting and Child Development: An Epigenetic Approach

Barreto-Zarza

Arranz-Freijo

2022

Social Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents an essay that uses an epigenetic approach to attain an inclusive and in-depth understanding of the influence of family context and quality of parenting on children’s psychological development. Based on the identification of a key developmental process in which interactions are continuously internalised, the approach draws attention to the bidirectional and systemic nature of intrafamily and parenting interactions and highlights the multiple factors that influence them, which are linked to the developmental history of the species, the individual characteristics of both the child and their parents, and contextual variables. In response to these internalised interactions, the body activates epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, which may affect the phenotypic expression of the genome. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed in light of the current process of identifying the biological profiles underlying negative and positive parenting practices. Some insights are offered regarding the challenges and opportunities that parents and policymakers should address in the 21st century in connection with the promotion of positive parenting, taking into account the epigenetic processes triggered by adverse environments for children and their families.

show abstract

The INMA—INfancia y Medio Ambiente—(Environment and Childhood) project: More than 10 years contributing to environmental and neuropsychological research

Cited by 12 publications

References 71 publications

Inorganic arsenic exposure and neuropsychological development of children of 4–5 years of age living in Spain

Inorganic arsenic exposure and neuropsychological development of children of 4–5 years of age living in Spain

Association of Iron Status and Intake During Pregnancy with Neuropsychological Outcomes in Children Aged 7 Years: The Prospective Birth Cohort Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Study

Family Context, Parenting and Child Development: An Epigenetic Approach

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About