University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Pediatrics, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Neurotoxicology. 2010 Sep;31(5):439-47. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2010.05.010. Epub 2010 May 31.
Studies of neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring exposed to MeHg from maternal consumption of fish have primarily measured cognitive abilities. Reported associations have been subtle and in both adverse and beneficial directions. Changes in functional outcomes such as school achievement and behavior in exposed children and adolescents have not been examined. We undertook an assessment of school success of children in the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS) main cohort to determine if there were any associations with either prenatal or recent postnatal MeHg exposure. The primary endpoints were Seychelles nationally standardized end-of-year examinations given when the cohort children were 9 and 17 years of age. A subgroup (n=215) from the main cohort was also examined at 9 years of age using a regional achievement test called SACMEQ. Prenatal MeHg exposure was 6.8 ppm in maternal hair; recent postnatal exposure was 6.09 ppm at 9 years and 8.0 ppm at 17 years, measured in child hair. Multiple linear regression analyses showed no pattern of associations between prenatal or postnatal exposure, and either the 9- or 17-year end-of-year examination scores. For the subgroup of 215 subjects who participated in the SACMEQ test, there were significant adverse associations between examination scores and postnatal exposure, but only for males. The average postnatal exposure level in child hair for this subgroup was significantly higher than for the overall cohort. These results are consistent with our earlier studies and support the interpretation that prenatal MeHg exposure at dosages achieved by mothers consuming a diet high in fish are not associated with adverse educational measures of scholastic achievement. The adverse association of educational measures with postnatal exposure in males is intriguing, but will need to be confirmed by further studies examining factors that influence scholastic achievement.
对母体通过食用鱼类摄入甲基汞（MeHg）而使后代产生的神经发育结果的研究主要测量了认知能力。已报告的相关性很细微，既有不利的，也有有利的。暴露儿童和青少年的功能结果（如学业成绩和行为）的变化尚未被检测到。我们对塞舌尔儿童发展研究（SCDS）主要队列中的儿童的学校成功进行了评估，以确定是否与产前或近期产后 MeHg 暴露存在任何关联。主要终点是当队列中的儿童 9 岁和 17 岁时进行的塞舌尔全国标准化年终考试。主要队列中的一个亚组（n=215）也在 9 岁时使用名为 SACMEQ 的区域成就测试进行了检查。头发中的母体甲基汞暴露为 6.8ppm；9 岁时的近期产后暴露为 6.09ppm，17 岁时为 8.0ppm，均在儿童头发中测量。多元线性回归分析显示，产前或产后暴露与 9 岁或 17 岁的年终考试成绩之间没有关联模式。对于参加 SACMEQ 测试的 215 名受试者亚组，考试成绩与产后暴露之间存在显著的不利关联，但仅在男性中。该亚组儿童头发中的平均产后暴露水平显著高于整个队列。这些结果与我们早期的研究一致，并支持以下解释：母亲通过摄入富含鱼类的饮食摄入甲基汞的产前暴露剂量与不良的学业成就教育措施无关。男性的教育措施与产后暴露的不利关联引人注目，但需要通过进一步研究检查影响学业成就的因素来证实。
