Maternal Perceptions of Evidence-Based Early Childhood Sleep Health Promotion Recommendations: An Explanatory Sequential Study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this explanatory sequential design study was to better understand caregivers' perceptions about and interest in evidence-based early childhood sleep health promotion recommendations. METHOD: A purposeful sample of mothers of 20 1-5-year-old children (10 children exhibiting optimal sleep and 10 children exhibiting insufficient/fragmented sleep) attending a preschool serving a low socio-economic (SES) status metropolitan community were invited to participate in qualitative interviews. Data were coded according to a grounded theory approach and themes were identified within the optimal and suboptimal sleeper groups. RESULTS: Mothers reported different approaches to managing electronics by optimal/suboptimal sleeper group, with mothers of optimal sleepers limiting access to electronics more than mothers in the suboptimal sleep group. Other themes of sleep health practices did not differ meaningfully between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal perspectives about early childhood sleep health were similar across optimal and suboptimal sleepers on most elements of child sleep health. Managing child sleep was contextually influenced and these results highlight the complexities of how families living in lower SES environments perceive common sleep recommendations. Thus, sleep health education efforts should be tailored to the needs and values of specific families and communities.

Prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with altered brain structure, function, and metabolism in childhood.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to air pollution disrupts cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development. The brain disturbances associated with prenatal air pollution are largely unknown. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we estimated prenatal exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and then assessed their associations with measures of brain anatomy, tissue microstructure, neurometabolites, and blood flow in 332 youth, 6-14 years old. We then assessed how those brain disturbances were associated with measures of intelligence, ADHD and anxiety symptoms, and socialization. RESULTS: Both exposures were associated with thinning of dorsal parietal cortices and thickening of postero-inferior and mesial wall cortices. They were associated with smaller white matter volumes, reduced organization in white matter of the internal capsule and frontal lobe, higher metabolite concentrations in frontal cortex, reduced cortical blood flow, and greater microstructural organization in subcortical gray matter nuclei. Associations were stronger for PM2.5 in boys and PAH in girls. Youth with low exposure accounted for most significant associations of ADHD, anxiety, socialization, and intelligence measures with cortical thickness and white matter volumes, whereas it appears that high exposures generally disrupted these neurotypical brain-behavior associations, likely because strong exposure-related effects increased the variances of these brain measures. CONCLUSIONS: The commonality of effects across exposures suggests PM2.5 and PAH disrupt brain development through one or more common molecular pathways, such as inflammation or oxidative stress. Progressively higher exposures were associated with greater disruptions in local volumes, tissue organization, metabolite concentrations, and blood flow throughout cortical and subcortical brain regions and the white matter pathways interconnecting them. Together these affected regions comprise cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits, which support the regulation of thought, emotion, and behavior.

Identifying Modifiable Factors Linking Parenting and Sleep in Racial/Ethnic Minority Children.

BACKGROUND: Young children from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds are at risk for poor sleep, yet few studies have tested behavioral interventions in diverse samples. This study tests factors that could contribute to associations between parenting skills and child sleep to inform interventions for children at risk of poor sleep outcomes. Specifically, we examined household chaos, caregiver sleep knowledge, and caregiver sleep quality as putative mediators that may be relevant to interventions seeking to improve child sleep. METHODS: Caregivers (M age 31.83 years; 46.2% African American; 52.1% Hispanic/Latinx, 95% female) of 119 1- to 5-year-old children (M age 3.99 years; 43.7% African American; 42.0% Hispanic/Latinx, 14.3% biracial; 51.3% female) completed measures of parenting practices, child and caregiver sleep, household chaos, and sleep knowledge. Indices of pediatric insomnia symptoms (difficulty falling/remaining asleep) and sleep health (sleep duration/hygiene) were constructed based on previous research. Parallel mediation models were conducted using ordinary least squares path analysis. RESULTS: Lower household chaos significantly attenuated the relationship between positive parenting skills and better child sleep health, suggesting chaos may serve as a potential mediator. There were no significant contributing factors in the pediatric insomnia model. Sleep knowledge was related to sleep health and caregiver sleep quality was related to pediatric insomnia, independent of parenting skills. CONCLUSION: Interventions to improve sleep in early childhood may be enhanced by targeting parenting skills and household routines to reduce chaos. Future longitudinal research is needed to test household chaos and other potential mediators of child sleep outcomes over time.

Maturation of Brain Microstructure and Metabolism Associates with Increased Capacity for Self-Regulation during the Transition from Childhood to Adolescence.

Children ages 9-12 years face increasing social and academic expectations that require mastery of their thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Little is known about the development of neural pathways integral to these improving capacities during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Among 234 healthy, inner-city male and female youth (species Homo sapiens) 9-12 years of age followed by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, we acquired diffusion tensor imaging, multiplanar chemical shift imaging, and cognitive measures requiring self-regulation. We found that increasing age was associated with increased fractional anisotropy and decreased apparent diffusion coefficient, most prominently in the frontal and cingulate cortices, striatum, thalamus, deep white matter, and cerebellum. Additionally, we found increasing age was associated with increased N-acetyl-l-aspartate (NAA) in the anterior cingulate and insular cortices, and decreased NAA in posterior cingulate and parietal cortices. Age-associated changes in microstructure and neurometabolite concentrations partially mediated age-related improvements in performance on executive function tests. Together, these findings suggest that maturation of key regions within cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical circuits subserve the emergence of improved self-regulatory capacities during the transition from childhood to adolescence.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Few imaging studies of normal brain development have focused on a population of inner-city, racial/ethnic minority youth during the transition from childhood to adolescence, a period when self-regulatory capacities rapidly improve. We used DTI and MPCSI to provide unique windows into brain maturation during this developmental epoch, assessing its mediating influences on age-related improvement in performance on self-regulatory tasks. Our findings suggest that rapid maturation of cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits, represented as progressive white-matter maturation (increasing FA and increasing NAA, Ch, Cr concentrations accompanying advancing age) in frontal regions and related subcortical projections and synaptic pruning (decreasing NAA, Ch, Cr, Glx) in posterior regions, support age-related improvements in executive functioning and self-regulatory capacities in youth 9-12 years of age.

Associations between prenatal and childhood PBDE exposure and early adolescent visual, verbal and working memory.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal and childhood exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants has been inversely associated with cognitive performance, however, few studies have measured PBDE concentrations in samples collected during both prenatal and postnatal periods. METHODS: We examined prenatal (cord) and childhood (ages 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 years) plasma PBDE concentrations in relation to memory outcomes assessed between the ages of 9 and 14 years. The study sample includes a subset (n = 212) of the African American and Dominican children enrolled in the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health Mothers and Newborns birth cohort. We used multivariable linear regression to examine associations between continuous log10-transformed PBDE concentrations and performance on tests of visual, verbal and working memory in age-stratified models. We additionally used latent class growth analysis to estimate trajectories of exposure across early life, which we analyzed as a categorical variable in relation to memory outcomes. We examined interactions between PBDE exposure and sex using cross-product terms. RESULTS: Associations between prenatal exposure and working memory significantly varied by sex (p-interaction = 0.02), with inverse relations observed only among girls (i.e. ßBDE-47 = -7.55, 95% CI: -13.84, -1.24). Children with sustained high concentrations of BDEs-47, 99 or 100 across childhood scored approximately 5-8 standard score points lower on tests of visual memory. Children with PBDE plasma concentrations that peaked during toddler years performed better on verbal domains, however, these associations were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to PBDEs during both prenatal and postnatal periods may disrupt memory domains in early adolescence. These findings contribute to a substantial body of evidence supporting the developmental neurotoxicity of PBDEs and underscore the need to reduce exposure among pregnant women and children.

Bisphenol A exposure and symptoms of anxiety and depression among inner city children at 10-12 years of age.

BACKGROUND: Experimental and epidemiological studies suggest that gestational exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), an ubiquitous endocrine disrupting chemical, may lead to neurobehavioral problems in childhood; however, not all results have been consistent. We previously reported a positive association between prenatal BPA exposure and symptoms of anxiety/depression reported by the mother at child age 7-9 years in boys, but not girls. OBJECTIVES: Here, in the same birth cohort, we investigated the association of prenatal BPA exposure with symptoms of depression and anxiety self-reported by the 10-12 year olds, hypothesizing that we would observe sex-specific differences in anxiety and depressive symptoms. METHODS: African-American and Dominican women living in Northern Manhattan and their children were followed from mother's pregnancy through children's age 10-12 years. BPA was quantified in maternal urine collected during the third trimester of pregnancy and in child urine collected at ages 3 and 5 years. Children were evaluated using the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) and Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS). We compared the children in the highest tertile of BPA concentration to those in the lower two tertiles. Associations between behavior and prenatal (maternal) BPA concentration or postnatal (child) BPA concentration were assessed in regression models stratified by sex. RESULTS: Significant positive associations between prenatal BPA and symptoms of depression and anxiety were observed among boys. Postnatal BPA exposure was not significantly associated with outcomes. There was substantial co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in this sample. CONCLUSION: These results provide evidence that prenatal BPA exposure is associated with more symptoms of anxiety and depression in boys but not in girls at age 10-12 years.

Prenatal exposure to the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos and childhood tremor.

BACKGROUND: The organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF), widely used for agricultural purposes, has been linked to neurodevelopmental deficits. Possible motor effects at low to moderate levels of exposure have not been evaluated. METHODS: Prenatal exposure to CPF was measured in umbilical cord blood in a sample of 263 inner-city minority children, who were followed prospectively. At approximately 11 years of age (mean age 10.9 ± 0.85 years, range=9.0-13.9), during a neuropsychological assessment, children were asked to draw Archimedes spirals. These were rated by a senior neurologist specializing in movement disorders who was blind to CPF exposure level. RESULTS: Compared to all other children, those with prenatal CPF exposure in the upper quartile range (n=43) were more likely to exhibit mild or mild to moderate tremor (≥ 1) in either arm (p=0.03), both arms (p=0.02), the dominant arm (p=0.01), and the non-dominant arm (p=0.055). Logistic regression analyses showed significant CPF effects on tremor in both arms, either arm, the dominant arm (p-values <0.05), and the non-dominant arm (p=0.06), after adjustment for sex, age at testing, ethnicity, and medication. CONCLUSION: Prenatal CPF exposure is associated with tremor in middle childhood, which may be a sign of the insecticide's effects on nervous system function.

Tremor in a population-based cohort of children in New York City.

BACKGROUND: There have been virtually no surveys of the prevalence, clinical features, or correlates of tremor in children and none in the United States. METHODS: A total of 317 children (age 11.0 ± 1.1 years; range, 9.0 to 14.7) underwent an evaluation at one time point. Each drew Archimedes spirals, which were rated by a senior neurologist specializing in movement disorders. RESULTS: A spiral score of 1 (mild but consistent tremor) was present in either hand in 105 (33.1%) children; a higher score (1.5, mild-to-moderate tremor) was present in either hand in 7 (2.2%) children. Higher spiral scores were associated with poorer motor hand function as assessed using the Purdue Pegboard test. Spiral scores were higher in boys than girls, were inversely associated with age, and were higher in the nondominant than dominant hand. Spiral scores were highest in children who were taking psychiatric medications and in children with psychiatric or neurological disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Mild tremor is common in children and covaries significantly with several demographic and clinical factors as well as usage of certain medications. It also lessens with advancing age. Rather than an isolated finding, tremor was associated with other measures of poorer motor hand function.

Electrophilic derivatives antagonise pheromone attraction in Cydia pomonella.

BACKGROUND: Pheromone antagonists are good disruptants of the pheromone communication in insects and, as such, have been used in mating disruption experiments. In this study, new non-fluorinated electrophilic keto derivatives structurally related to the pheromone of Cydia pomonella (codlemone) have been synthesised and tested as putative pheromone antagonists. RESULTS: Codlemone (1) was prepared in excellent stereoselectivity in a new, iterative approach involving two Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions. Methyl ketone (2), keto ester (3) and diketone (4) were obtained from codlemone in straightforward approaches in good overall yields and excellent stereochemical purity (≥98% E,E). In electrophysiology, only compound 2 displayed inhibition of the antennal response to the pheromone after presaturation of the antennal receptors. Compounds 2 to 4 did not inhibit the pheromone-degrading enzyme responsible for codlemone metabolism, but mixtures of ketone 2 and diketone 4 with codlemone elicited erratic flights on males in a wind tunnel. In the field, blends of either compound (2 or 4) with the pheromone caught significantly fewer males than codlemone alone. CONCLUSION: Codlemone and the potential antagonists 2 to 4 have been synthesised in good yields and excellent stereoselectivity. These chemicals behave as pheromone antagonists of the codling moth both in the laboratory and in the field.

Perceived stress and eating behaviors in a community-based sample of African Americans.

Previous studies have reported that psychological stress is associated with greater food consumption, particularly consumption of high fat foods. We are unaware of any studies that have examined stress-induced eating among African Americans (AAs). The goals of the current study were to examine the relationship between perceived stress and high fat eating behaviors in a sample of AAs, to examine whether this relationship is stronger among overweight and obese participants, and to examine whether haphazard meal planning mediates the relationship between perceived stress and high fat eating behaviors. One hundred fifty-nine adults from a metropolitan area completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Eating Behaviors Pattern Questionnaire (EBPQ), a demographic questionnaire, and body mass was assessed with BMI. Perceived stress was associated with haphazard planning and emotional eating, but not related to other high fat eating domains in the overall sample. These findings held for overweight and obese participants with the addition of snacking on sweets. High fat eating behaviors were not mediated by haphazard meal planning. These findings are consistent with other studies which demonstrate a link between stress and eating. Long-term interventions for high fat consumption and obesity should include an examination of perceived stress among AAs.