Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb 2;17(3):926. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17030926.
Environmental toxicants such as methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochlorine pesticides are potentially harmful pollutants present in contaminated food, soil, air, and water. Exposure to these ecologically relevant toxicants is prominent in Northern Canadian populations. Previous work focused on toxicant exposure during pregnancy as a threat to fetal neurodevelopment. However, little is known about the individual and combined effects of these toxicants on maternal health during pregnancy and post-partum. A scoping review was conducted to synthesize the current knowledge regarding individual and combined effects of methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochlorine pesticides on maternal behaviour and the maternal brain. Relevant studies were identified through the PubMed, Embase, and Toxline databases. Literature involving animal models and one human cohort were included in the review. Research findings indicate that exposures to these environmental toxicants are associated with neurochemical changes in rodent models. Animal models provided the majority of information on toxicant-induced alterations in maternal care behaviours. Molecular and hormonal changes hypothesized to underlie these alterations were also addressed, although studies assessing toxicant co-exposure were limited. This review speaks to the limited knowledge regarding effects of these persistent organic pollutants on the maternal brain and related behavioural outcomes. Further research is required to better comprehend any such effects on maternal brain and behaviour, as maternal care is an important contributor to offspring neurodevelopment.
环境毒素，如甲基汞、多氯联苯和有机氯农药，是存在于污染的食物、土壤、空气和水中的潜在有害污染物。在加拿大北部人群中，这些与生态相关的毒素暴露非常突出。以前的工作主要集中在怀孕期间接触这些有毒物质对胎儿神经发育的威胁上。然而，对于这些有毒物质在怀孕期间和产后对母亲健康的单独和联合影响知之甚少。进行了一项范围综述，以综合目前关于甲基汞、多氯联苯和有机氯农药对母亲行为和母亲大脑的单独和联合影响的知识。通过 PubMed、Embase 和 Toxline 数据库确定了相关研究。该综述包括动物模型和一项人类队列的文献。研究结果表明，这些环境毒素的暴露与啮齿动物模型中的神经化学变化有关。动物模型提供了关于有毒物质引起的母性行为改变的大部分信息。虽然也涉及到假设这些改变的分子和激素变化，但评估有毒物质共同暴露的研究有限。这篇综述说明了关于这些持久性有机污染物对母体大脑和相关行为结果影响的知识有限。需要进一步的研究来更好地理解这些对母体大脑和行为的影响，因为母婴护理是影响后代神经发育的重要因素。
