title: Long-term effect of early-life stress from earthquake exposure on working memory in adulthood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed to investigate the long-term effect of 1976 Tangshan earthquake exposure in early life on performance of working memory in adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 907 study subjects born and raised in Tangshan were enrolled in this study. They were divided into three groups according to the dates of birth: infant exposure (3-12 months, n=274), prenatal exposure (n=269), and no exposure (born at least 1 year after the earthquake, n=364). The prenatal group was further divided into first, second, and third trimester subgroups based on the timing of exposure during pregnancy. Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) were used to measure the performance of working memory. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influential factors for impaired working memory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised scores did not show significant difference across the three groups. Compared with no exposure group, the BVMT-R scores were slightly lower in the prenatal exposure group and markedly decreased in the infant exposure group. When the BVMT-R scores were analyzed in three subgroups, the results showed that the subjects whose mothers were exposed to earthquake in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy had significantly lower BVMT-R scores compared with those in the first trimester. Education level and early-life earthquake exposure were identified as independent risk factors for reduced performance of visuospatial memory indicated by lower BVMT-R scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Infant exposure to earthquake-related stress impairs visuospatial memory in adulthood. Fetuses in the middle and late stages of development are more vulnerable to stress-induced damage that consequently results in impaired visuospatial memory. Education and early-life trauma can also influence the performance of working memory in adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaochuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lulu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qianqian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yunpeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiajia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, People's Republic of China ; Brain Ageing and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xueyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: Tangshan earthquake; chronic effect; early life stress; working memory