Prenatal famine exposure and late-life functional brain network connectivity: A longitudinal study.

Amber Boots, Jessica S Damoiseaux, Youjin Jung, Aline Marileen Wiegersma, Anouk Schrantee, Daphne E Boucherie, Tessa J Roseboom, Susanne R de Rooij

Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Aging and Later Life, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected] UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Aging and Later Life, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected]. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

The effects of the prenatal environment on resting-state functional connectivity in the brain can be detected up into older adulthood. We previously identified differences in resting-state functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN) at age 68 between men and women in the Dutch famine birth cohort who had been exposed or unexposed to famine in early gestation. Here, we investigated longitudinal changes in resting-state functional connectivity of the DMN, SN and CEN between ages 68 (n = 115) and 74 (n = 80) in the same cohort. Within- and between-network functional connectivity of the DMN, SN and CEN were compared between individuals unexposed (born before or conceived after) or exposed to famine in early gestation using a latent change score modeling approach with full information maximum likelihood estimation. No group differences were observed in baseline within-network functional connectivity (intercept; Δχ

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Research summary

The paper investigates the longitudinal effects of prenatal famine exposure on functional brain connectivity in older adults. This research is relevant as it explores how early-life environmental factors can influence brain health and connectivity in aging, potentially shedding light on mechanisms that contribute to age-related cognitive decline.

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