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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Publication Detail

Title: Prenatal phthalate, triclosan, and bisphenol A exposures and child visual-spatial abilities.

Authors: Braun, Joseph M; Bellinger, David C; Hauser, Russ; Wright, Robert O; Chen, Aimin; Calafat, Antonia M; Yolton, Kimberly; Lanphear, Bruce P

Published In Neurotoxicology, (2017 Jan)

Abstract: During fetal development, sex steroids influence sexually dimorphic behaviors, such as visual-spatial abilities. Thus, endocrine disrupting chemicals that impact sex steroids during gestation may affect these behaviors.We investigated the relationship between prenatal urinary phthalate metabolite, triclosan, and BPA concentrations and visual-spatial abilities in a prospective cohort of 198 mother-child dyads.Data are from a prospective cohort in Cincinnati, OH (HOME Study). We measured nine phthalate metabolites, triclosan, and BPA in maternal urine samples collected at 16 and 26 weeks of gestation. We assessed children's visual-spatial abilities at 8 years of age using the Virtual Morris Water Maze (VMWM), a computerized version of the rodent Morris Water Maze. We quantified the covariate-adjusted change in the time or distance to complete the VMWM and time spent in the correct quadrant during a probe trial with an interquartile range increase in chemical concentrations using linear mixed models and linear regression, respectively.Boys completed the VMWM faster (4.1s; 95% CI:-7.1, -1.2) and in less distance (1.4 units; 95% CI:-2.8, 0) than girls. Overall, children with higher mono-n-butyl (MnBP), mono-benzyl (MBzP), and mono-carboxypropyl phthalate concentrations completed the VMWM in less time and distance than children with lower concentrations. For example, children with higher MnBP concentrations completed the VMWM in 0.9 less distance units (95% CI:-1.8, -0.0). Child sex modified the association between MnBP and VMWM performance. In girls, higher MnBP concentrations were associated with longer time (1.7s; 95% CI: -0.7, 4.1) and shorter distance (-1.7 units; 95% CI: -2.8, -0.5), whereas in boys, it was associated with shorter time (-3.0s; 95% CI:-5.6, -0.4), but not distance (-0.1 units; 95% CI:1.4, 1.0). Other phthalate metabolites, triclosan, and BPA were not associated with VMWM performance, and sex did not consistently modify these associations.In this cohort, greater prenatal urinary concentrations of some phthalate metabolites were associated with improved VMWM performance, particularly among boys. Future studies should confirm these findings and determine if phthalates affect other hormonally sensitive aspects of child neurobehavior.

PubMed ID: 27888119 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Air Pollutants, Occupational/adverse effects*; Anti-Infective Agents, Local/adverse effects*; Benzhydryl Compounds/adverse effects*; Child; Cohort Studies; Creatinine/urine; Female; Humans; Male; Maze Learning/drug effects; Phenols/adverse effects*; Phthalic Acids/adverse effects*; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/chemically induced*; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/physiopathology*; Sex Characteristics; Space Perception/drug effects*; Spatial Navigation/drug effects; Triclosan/adverse effects*; User-Computer Interface

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