Grant Number:
Principal Investigator:
Davidson, Philip W
Institution:
University of Rochester
Most Recent Award Year:
2010
Lifestage of Participants:
Exposure:
Prenatal; Infant (0-1 year); Youth (1-18 years); Adulthood (18+ years); Adulthood (mother)
Assessment:
Adulthood (18+ years)
Exposures:
Metals:
Mercury/methylmercury
Mixtures:
Nutrition/Diet/Supplements:
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)
Health Outcomes:
Cardiovascular Outcomes:
Not specified
Neurological/Cognitive Outcomes:
Neurobehavioral outcomes
Other Participant Data:
Neurocognitive function tests; Various heart function tests; Electrocardiogram; Arterial stiffness
Genes or Other DNA Products Studied:
C-reactive protein
Abstract:
This application is a competing renewal of Grant 5-R01ES008442 entitled "Methyl Mercury Effects on Adolescent Development." The Seychelles Child development Study (SCDS) has been testing the hypothesis that methyl mercury (MeHg) exposure from consumption of a diet high in fish is associated with adverse health outcomes. Exposure to MeHg from fish consumption is thought to impair cognition and neuro-regulation of the heart. Since 1989, we have been following a cohort of 779 subjects born to mothers who consumed an average of 12 fish-meals per week during pregnancy. The subjects are now approaching 21 years of age. The subjects have been assessed for cognitive and behavioral development. In 2006, the project was expanded with funds from a competing supplement to include measurements of autonomic heart regulation. The subjects themselves habitually consume a diet high in fish. Fish contain both MeHg and nutrients including long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) which are beneficial to brain development and heart function. Preliminary data suggest that prenatal and postnatal exposures to combined MeHg and LCPUFA in fish may be associated with distinct patterns of results. Limited information is available on postnatal exposures however. We will examine the SCDS cohort at approximately 21 and 23 years of age to assess the net cumulative risk of exposure to postnatal MeHg and recent LCPUFA status on cognitive outcomes and cardiovascular parameters. Statistical analyses will employ innovative parametric and non-parametric modeling designed to ascertain the effects on these endpoints of co-exposures to postnatal, adjusted for prenatal MeHg exposure, and/or lifetime cumulative (prenatal and postnatal) exposure to MeHg, and recent exposure to LCPUFA to ascertain the separate risks attendant to these exposures. The Seychelles population has many similarities with that of the US and can therefore serve as a sentinel for the risks and benefits of fish consumption. The low loss to follow-up provides a unique opportunity to continue to study this very well characterized cohort and differentiate prenatal from postnatal MeHg effects as its members move from adolescence to young adult life. The findings from this study will be important as governmental agencies continue to evaluate the scientific data regarding toxic effects and nutrient benefits of a high fish diet. The study should also clarify the risks and benefits of fish consumption in relation to neurocognitive and cardiac morbidity that may not become clinically manifest until later in adulthood.
ExpandCollapse Abstract
Related NIEHS-Funded Study Populations
Seychelles Child Development and Nutrition Study (SCDNS)
Principal Investigator:
van Wijngaarden, Edwin; Davidson, Philip; Watson, Gene; Thurston, Sarah (Sally) W
| Study Population Page Study Population c103
Institution:
University of Rochester
Location:
The Seychelles
Number of Participants::
5,000+
Brief Description::
This study, which began in the mid-1980s, includes several large cohorts of children whose mothers consumed fish frequently during their pregnancy. The study objective is to determine if prenatal methylmercury exposure from fish consumption has adverse effects on the children’s neurodevelopment as well as to document child development in the Seychelles. The Main cohort was recruited in 1989 and is comprised of 779 children. A subsequent Nutrition cohort (NC1) of 300 mothers was enrolled in 2001 during their first trimester of pregnancy. Most recently, a second Nutrition cohort (NC2) of 1,536 mother-child pairs was enrolled between 2008 and 2011.