title: Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Black Carbon and Memory Domains in Urban Children: Modification by Sex and Prenatal Stress.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Whether fetal neurodevelopment is disrupted by traffic-related air pollution is uncertain. Animal studies suggest that chemical and non-chemical stressors interact to impact neurodevelopment, and that this association is further modified by sex.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations between prenatal traffic-related black carbon exposure, prenatal stress, and sex with children's memory and learning.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analyses included N = 258 mother-child dyads enrolled in a Boston, Massachusetts pregnancy cohort. Black carbon exposure was estimated using a validated spatiotemporal land-use regression model. Prenatal stress was measured using the Crisis in Family Systems-Revised survey of negative life events. The Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML2) was administered at age 6 years; outcomes included the General Memory Index and its component indices [Verbal, Visual, and Attention Concentration]. Relationships between black carbon and WRAML2 index scores were examined using multivariable-adjusted linear regression including effect modification by stress and sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mothers were primarily minorities (60% Hispanic, 26% Black); 67% had ≤12 years of education. The main effect for black carbon was not significant for any WRAML2 index; however, in stratified analyses, among boys with high exposure to prenatal stress, Attention Concentration Index scores were on average 9.5 points lower for those with high compared to low prenatal black carbon exposure (P3-way interaction = 0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The associations between prenatal exposure to black carbon and stress with children's memory scores were stronger in boys than in girls. Studies assessing complex interactions may more fully characterize health risks and, in particular, identify vulnerable subgroups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Whitney J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Cowell
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bellinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Brent A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Coull
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gennings
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Kravis Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Mindich Child Health & Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Robert O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Kravis Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Mindich Child Health & Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rosalind J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D053260:Soot / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053260:Soot