Abstract #2544

Investigating the Effects of Antenatal Maternal Anaemia on Brain Structure in 6-Year-Old South African Children: A Neuroimaging Cohort Study

Jessica E. Ringshaw^1,2,3, Chanelle Hendrikse^1,2, Catherine J. Wedderburn^1,2, Layla E. Bradford^1,2, Simone R. Williams^1,2, Charmaine N. Nyakonda^1,2, Marilyn Lake¹, Tiffany Burd¹, Nadia Hoffman⁴, Annerine Roos^1,2, Katherine Narr⁵, Shantanu Joshi^5,6, Steven C.R. Williams³, Heather J. Zar¹, Dan J. Stein^2,4, and Kirsten A. Donald^1,2

¹Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, ²Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, ³Department of Neuroimaging, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom, ⁴Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, ⁵Department of Neurology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States, ⁶Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Neuro, Pediatric, Maternal anaemia, haemoglobin, high-field MRI, neurodevelopment, neuroimaging, child brain structure

Motivation: It is unknown whether recent findings linking antenatal maternal anaemia with altered brain structure in toddlers persist to later childhood.

Goal(s): This study aimed to determine whether associations of antenatal maternal anaemia with smaller corpus callosum, putamen, and caudate nucleus volumes described in 2–3-year-olds remain at age 6-7 years in the same cohort.

Approach: Linear modeling was used to investigate associations between antenatal maternal anaemia status, maternal haemoglobin concentrations, and child brain volumes.

Results: Antenatal maternal anaemia was associated with smaller volumes of the corpus callosum and caudate nucleus in school-age children, with comparable adjusted volume differences and coefficients to findings in toddlers.

Impact: Evidence that associations of maternal anaemia with brain volumes are consistent and persist from age 2-3 years through to age 6-7 years supports the importance of optimizing antenatal maternal health and reinforces these brain regions as a future research focus.

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