Pour l’axe Cerveau et développement de l’enfant
Henning Tiemeier, MD, PhD
Département des Sciences sociales et comportementales, Harvard T.H. Chan.
École de santé publique, Boston, USA.
Population Neuroscience: Psychiatric epidemiological research in children that matters for Policy, Public Health, or Clinical Practice.
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Résumé:
Les études d’imagerie cérébrale ont permis de mieux comprendre les fondements neurobiologiques des problèmes psychiatriques de l’enfant et de l’adolescent. Cependant, les applications cliniques ne se sont pas concrétisées. Dans ce séminaire, Dr Tiemeier présentera des études d’imagerie cérébrale chez l’enfant qui ont des implications en matière de santé publique. Dr Tiemeier abordera trois aspects des résultats. Premièrement, comment les adversités environnementales façonnent le développement cérébral et cognitif. Deuxièmement, il soulignera certains défis méthodologiques liés aux résultats pertinents pour la santé publique, tels que la difficulté d’identifier les périodes sensibles. Enfin, il mettra en évidence certains résultats qui présentent un intérêt pour la santé publique.
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Abstract:
Background: Brain imaging studies have advanced our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of child and adolescent psychiatric problems. However, clinical applications have not materialized. In this seminar I will present studies of child brain imaging that have public health implications.
Methods: Generation R, a large prospective, pre-birth cohort of nearly 5,000 children with structural imaging data that began in 2002 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands is uniquely suited to study common intrauterine and environmental adversities. I will provide an overview of results from my lab focusing on child brain imaging assessments at age 10 and 13 years using structural and diffusion-tensor imaging. Maternal psychopathology, trans-fatty-acid exposure, and maternal thyroid status were assessed prenatally, and child physical activity were assessed in childhood.
Results: Intra-uterine exposure to maternal depression was not associated with structural brain changes in the offspring after careful control for confounders; a curve-linear association between prenatal maternal thyroid levels and offspring gray matter development was consistent with results for IQ but shown to be assessment timing dependent. An instrumental variable approach showed that the Dutch policy change regarding trans-fatty acids in food contributed to better brain growth in fetuses after 2004.
Conclusions: I will discuss three aspects of the results. Firstly, how environmental adversities shape brain and cognitive development. Secondly; I will highlight some methodological challenges for public health relevant results, such as the difficulty of identifying sensitive periods. Finally, I will highlight selected results that have public health relevance.