Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Jul 1;114(1):124-133. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab049.
Emerging evidence suggests an association of maternal PUFA concentrations during pregnancy with child cognitive and neuropsychiatric outcomes such as intelligence and autistic traits. However, little is known about prenatal maternal PUFAs in relation to child brain development, which may underlie these associations.
We aimed to investigate the association of maternal PUFA status during pregnancy with child brain morphology, including volumetric and white matter microstructure measures.
This study was embedded in a prospective population-based study. In total, 1553 mother-child dyads of Dutch origin were included. Maternal plasma glycerophospholipid PUFAs were assessed in midpregnancy. Child brain morphologic outcomes, including total gray and white matter volumes, as well as white matter microstructure quantified by global fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity, were measured using MRI (including diffusion tensor imaging) at age 9-11 y.
Maternal ω-3 (n-3) long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) concentrations during pregnancy had an inverted U-shaped relation with child total gray volume (linear term: β: 16.7; 95% CI: 2.0, 31.5; quadratic term: β: -1.1; 95% CI: -2.1, -0.07) and total white matter volume (linear term: β: 15.7; 95% CI: 3.6, 27.8; quadratic term: β: -1.0; 95% CI: -1.8, -0.16). Maternal gestational ω-6 LC-PUFA concentrations did not predict brain volumetric differences in children, albeit the linolenic acid concentration was inversely associated with child total white matter volume. Maternal PUFA status during pregnancy was not related to child white matter microstructure.
Sufficient maternal ω-3 PUFAs during pregnancy may be related to more optimal child brain development in the long term. In particular, exposure to lower ω-3 PUFA concentrations in fetal life was associated with less brain volume in childhood. Maternal ω-6 LC-PUFAs were not related to child brain morphology.
新出现的证据表明，孕妇在怀孕期间多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）的浓度与儿童认知和神经精神结果有关，如智力和自闭症特征。然而，关于产前母亲 PUFAs 与儿童大脑发育的关系知之甚少，而这可能是这些关联的基础。
我们旨在研究孕妇在怀孕期间的 PUFAs 状况与儿童大脑形态之间的关系，包括容量和白质微观结构测量。
这项研究是嵌入在一项前瞻性的基于人群的研究中。总共纳入了 1553 对荷兰血统的母婴对子。在妊娠中期评估了母体血浆甘油磷脂 PUFAs。使用 MRI（包括弥散张量成像）在 9-11 岁时测量儿童大脑形态学结果，包括总灰质和白质体积，以及通过全部分数各向异性和平均扩散系数量化的白质微观结构。
孕妇在怀孕期间的 ω-3（n-3）长链多不饱和脂肪酸（LC-PUFA）浓度与儿童总灰质体积呈倒 U 形关系（线性项：β：16.7；95%CI：2.0，31.5；二次项：β：-1.1；95%CI：-2.1，-0.07）和总白质体积（线性项：β：15.7；95%CI：3.6，27.8；二次项：β：-1.0；95%CI：-1.8，-0.16）。母体妊娠期 ω-6 LC-PUFA 浓度并不能预测儿童的大脑容量差异，尽管亚麻酸浓度与儿童总白质体积呈负相关。孕妇在怀孕期间的 PUFAs 状况与儿童白质微观结构无关。
孕妇在怀孕期间摄入足够的 ω-3 PUFAs 可能与儿童大脑的长期发育更优有关。特别是，胎儿生命中接触较低浓度的 ω-3 PUFAs 与儿童期的脑容量减少有关。母体 ω-6 LC-PUFAs 与儿童脑形态无关。
