Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on newborn neurodevelopment: a pilot study.

The COVID-19 pandemic can seize the opportunity to explore the hypothesis of prenatal exposure to viral infections increases the risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Advancing our knowledge in this regard would improve primary prevention of mental disorders in children. For this pilot study, six-week-old infants born to mothers exposed (n = 21) or unexposed (n = 21) to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were assessed in Santander-Cantabria (Spain) using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS). Groups comparisons were performed to explore the effects that infection and timing of exposure (in terms of the three trimesters of pregnancy). The infants' competencies and performances on the NBAS were generally similar in the exposed and unexposed to SARS-CoV-2 groups. The most significant difference found was a less optimally response to cuddliness (item on the state regulation domain) particularly in infants born to mothers exposed in the third trimester of pregnancy, and in pull-to-sit (item on the motor system domain). Although our interpretations must be careful, these preliminary results highlight the possible association between prenatal SARS-CoV-2 exposure and poorer development in motor skills and infant interactive behavior. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore these relationships and disentangle the biological mechanisms implicated.

A systematic review of the complex organization of human cognitive domains and their heritability.

BACKGROUND: Models of cognition propose a hierarchical structure for human cognitive processes, in which the sequences of human action are organized into parts or subunits of analysis that can be grouped into progressively more complex, inclusive higher-order functions. This organizational structure from partial to whole may be reflected in the neural representations that underlie human behaviour, and in its genetic underpinnings. The objective of the present study was to explore a putative hierarchical organization of the genetic influences underlying cognitive domains. METHOD: Thirty four studies of the heritability of cognition on population-based samples were reviewed, which included measures of intelligence, verbal and performance abilities, memory, working memory and processing speed. RESULTS: Specific cognitive domains showed diverse proportions of genetic underpinnings such that higher-order cognitive functions present high heritability estimates, whereas lower-order functions respond to small/moderate heritability estimates. CONCLUSIONS: Based on current understanding of the developmental processes of the neurobiological substrates of human cognition, the genetic contributions to cognitive abilities seem to be organized in line with the ontogenic maturation of the brain. We discuss the large genetic control of the combinatory capacity of basic cognitive functions, and its interaction with environmental influences.