title: Maternal Obesity, Overweight and Gestational Diabetes Affect the Offspring Neurodevelopment at 6 and 18 Months of Age--A Follow Up from the PREOBE Cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brain development in fetal life and early infancy is critical to determine lifelong performance in various neuropsychological domains. Metabolic pathologies such as overweight, obesity, and gestational diabetes in pregnant women are prevalent and increasing risk factors that may adversely affect long-term brain development in their offspring.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of maternal metabolic pathologies on the neurodevelopment of the offspring at 6 and 18 months of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective case-control study of 331 mother- and child pairs from Granada, Spain. The mothers were included during pregnancy into four groups according to their pre-gestational body mass index and their gestational diabetes status; overweight (n:56), obese (n:64), gestational diabetic (n:79), and healthy normal weight controls (n:132). At 6 months and 18 months we assessed the children with the Bayley III scales of neurodevelopment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 6 months (n=215), we found significant group differences in cognition composite language, and expressive language. Post hoc test revealed unexpectedly higher scores in the obese group compared to the normal weight group and a similar trend in overweight and diabetic group. The effects on language remained significant after adjusting for confounders with an adjusted odds ratio for a value above median in composite language score of 3.3 (95% CI: 1.1, 10.0; p=0.035) for children of obese mothers. At 18 month (n=197), the offspring born to obese mothers had lost five points in language composite scores and the previous differences in language and cognition was replaced by a suggestive trend of lower gross motor scores in the overweight, obese, and diabetic groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Infants of obese mothers had a temporary accelerated development of cognition and language, followed by a rapid deceleration until 18 months of age, particularly of language scores. This novel observation prompts further confirmative studies to explore possible placental and neurodevelopmental mechanisms involved.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Torres-Espinola
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Staffan K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Luz Ma
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: García-Valdés
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Ma Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Paediatrics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jerez
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moreno-Torres
authors.affiliation: R&D Department, Abbott Laboratories. Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rueda
authors.affiliation: Mind, Brain and Behaviour International Research Centre (CIMCYC). University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Catena
authors.affiliation: Mind, Brain and Behaviour International Research Centre (CIMCYC). University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez-García
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Paediatric Research EURISTIKOS, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Paediatrics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campoy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009765:Obesity; D050177:Overweight; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011446:Prospective Studies