Pregnancy exposed to flame retardants may lead to the birth of children who would struggle with reading, according to a new US study.
The study, entitled “Functional connectivity of the reading network is associated with prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations in a community sample of 5 year-old children: A preliminary study”, examined the children’s in utero exposure to a flame retardant called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which may be harmful to brain development.
The researchers from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons observed 33 five-year old children who were all considered as beginners in reading. Their blood samples were taken from their mothers during pregnancy. The children went through MRIs scans as well as a reading assessment to identify any reading problems.
Published in the journal Environmental International, the study revealed that children with a better-functioning reading network in the brain experienced less problems with reading.
In addition, the study affirms that that children who had had a greater exposure to PDBEs in the womb manifested a less efficient reading network.
Meanwhile, greater exposure to PDBEs showed no impact on the function of another brain network, which focuses on social processing and has been associated with psychiatric disorders like autism spectrum disorder.
The use of PBDEs has now been banned, according to the researchers. However, exposure to these substances remain common as they continue to be used in existing products, such as fabrics, electronics, and furniture.
The researchers further noted that an estimated two million children in the US have learning disorders, 80 percent of which have a reading disorder. Their findings show that genetics plays a role in about 60 percent of instances of reading disorders. However, exposure to neurotoxicants, including PBDEs, could be an overlooked risk factor for reading problems.
"Since social processing problems are not a common aspect of reading disorders, our findings suggest that exposure to PDBEs doesn't affect the whole brain -- just the regions associated with reading," says one of the study’s authors, Amy Margolis, PhD.
"Our findings suggest that the effects of exposure are present in the brain before we can detect changes in behavior," she says. "Future studies should examine whether behavioral interventions at early ages can reduce the impact of these exposures on later emerging reading problems.”
