TY - JOUR
T1 - Elemental analysis of hair provides biomarkers of maternal hardship linked to adverse behavioural outcomes in 4-year-old children
T2 - The QF2011 Queensland Flood Study
AU - Ambeskovic, Mirela
AU - Laplante, David P.
AU - Kenney, Thomas
AU - Elgbeili, Guillaume
AU - Beaumier, Pierre
AU - Azat, Nagy
AU - Simcock, Gabrielle
AU - Kildea, Sue
AU - King, Suzanne
AU - Metz, Gerlinde A.S.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [NSERC #05628 and #00031- GM ], a Post Graduate Scholarship [MA], CIHR: Canadian Institutes of Health Research , Institute Community Support [ICS #158581 - MA ] and Alberta Innovates fellowship [MA].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - Background: Exposure to adverse experiences during pregnancy, such as a natural disaster, can modify development of the child with potential long-term consequences. Elemental hair analysis may provide useful indicators of cellular homeostasis and child health. The present study investigated (1) if flood-induced prenatal maternal stress is associated with altered hair elemental profiles in 4-year-old children, and (2) if hair elemental profiles are associated with behavioural outcomes in children. Methods: Participants were 75 children (39 boys; 36 girls) whose mothers were exposed to varying levels of stress due to a natural disaster (2011 Queensland Flood, Australia) during pregnancy. At 4 years of age, language development, attention and internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed and scalp hair was collected. Hair was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for 28 chemical elements. Results: A significant curvilinear association was found between maternal objective hardship and copper levels in boys, as low and high maternal objective hardship levels were associated with the highest hair copper levels. Mediation analysis revealed that low levels of maternal objective hardship and high levels of copper were associated with lower vocabulary scores. Higher levels of maternal objective hardship were associated with higher magnesium levels, which in turn were associated with attention problems and aggression in boys. In girls, high and low maternal objective hardship levels were associated with high calcium/potassium ratios. Conclusion: Elemental hair analysis may provide a sensitive biomonitoring tool for early identification of health risks in vulnerable children.
AB - Background: Exposure to adverse experiences during pregnancy, such as a natural disaster, can modify development of the child with potential long-term consequences. Elemental hair analysis may provide useful indicators of cellular homeostasis and child health. The present study investigated (1) if flood-induced prenatal maternal stress is associated with altered hair elemental profiles in 4-year-old children, and (2) if hair elemental profiles are associated with behavioural outcomes in children. Methods: Participants were 75 children (39 boys; 36 girls) whose mothers were exposed to varying levels of stress due to a natural disaster (2011 Queensland Flood, Australia) during pregnancy. At 4 years of age, language development, attention and internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed and scalp hair was collected. Hair was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for 28 chemical elements. Results: A significant curvilinear association was found between maternal objective hardship and copper levels in boys, as low and high maternal objective hardship levels were associated with the highest hair copper levels. Mediation analysis revealed that low levels of maternal objective hardship and high levels of copper were associated with lower vocabulary scores. Higher levels of maternal objective hardship were associated with higher magnesium levels, which in turn were associated with attention problems and aggression in boys. In girls, high and low maternal objective hardship levels were associated with high calcium/potassium ratios. Conclusion: Elemental hair analysis may provide a sensitive biomonitoring tool for early identification of health risks in vulnerable children.
KW - Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
KW - Child development
KW - Elemental hair analysis
KW - Elementomics
KW - Hair mineral analysis
KW - Language development
KW - Mass spectroscopy
KW - Natural disaster
KW - Prenatal stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85134341738&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jtemb.2022.127036
DO - 10.1016/j.jtemb.2022.127036
M3 - Article
C2 - 35841837
AN - SCOPUS:85134341738
SN - 0946-672X
VL - 73
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology
JF - Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology
M1 - 127036
ER -