A major international study led by researchers at the Nuffield Dept of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford and in collaboration with the University of Leeds has identified how early disruptions in fetal brain growth are linked to poorer child development outcomes and uncovered the biological mechanisms underlying these effects.
The study, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, followed nearly 3,600 pregnancies from early gestation through to children’s second birthday.
Researchers found that specific patterns of fetal brain growth, emerging before 20–25 weeks’ gestation, are strongly associated with differences in growth, vision, and neurodevelopment at age two. They then discover that early maternal disruption of fats required for normal fetal brain growth is associated with reduced gene activation needed to produce these fats in the newborn.
Key Findings
- Fetuses whose brain growth started slowing down early in pregnancy (early faltering growth or EFG) had the poorest outcomes, including lower cognitive, motor, language, and vision scores at age two. EFG was associated with reduced blood supply to the placenta, indicating impaired oxygen and nutrient delivery during pregnancy.
- Distinct maternal metabolic signatures in early pregnancy (<16 weeks) were identified, including a change in types of fat within the blood linked to adverse fetal growth patterns. Evidence for altered epigenetic regulation of the biological mechanisms required to make these neurologically related fats was observed in cord blood.
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health website.