Impacts on prenatal development of the human cerebellum: a systematic review.
OBJECTIVE
The cerebellum is essential for normal neurodevelopment and is particularly susceptible for intra-uterine disruptions. Although some causal prenatal exposures have been identified, the origin of neurodevelopmental disorders remains mostly unclear. Therefore, a systematic literature search was conducted to provide an overview of parental environmental exposures and intrinsic factors influencing prenatal cerebellar growth and development in humans.


METHODS
The literature search was limited to human studies in the English language and was conducted in Embase, Medline, Cochrane, Web of Science, Pubmed and GoogleScholar. Eligible studies were selected by three independent reviewers and study quality was scored by two independent reviewers.


RESULTS
The search yielded 3872 articles. We found 15 eligible studies reporting associations between cerebellar development and maternal smoking (4), use of alcohol (3), in vitro fertilization mediums (1), mercury (1), mifepristone (2), aminopropionitriles (1), ethnicity (2) and cortisol levels (1). No studies reported on paternal factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Current literature on associations between parental environmental exposures, intrinsic factors and human cerebellar development is scarce. Yet, this systematic review provided an essential overview of human studies demonstrating the vulnerability of the cerebellum to the intra-uterine environment.
a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Erasmus MC University Medical Center , Rotterdam , The Netherlands.|b Department of Pediatrics , Subdivision of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital , Rotterdam , The Netherlands.
Irene V
IV
Koning
c Department of Epidemiology.
Myrte J
MJ
Tielemans
d Department of Neuroscience , Erasmus MC University Medical Center , Rotterdam , The Netherlands , and.
Freek E
FE
Hoebeek
b Department of Pediatrics , Subdivision of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital , Rotterdam , The Netherlands.
Ginette M
GM
Ecury-Goossen
b Department of Pediatrics , Subdivision of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital , Rotterdam , The Netherlands.
Irwin K M
IKM
Reiss
a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Erasmus MC University Medical Center , Rotterdam , The Netherlands.|b Department of Pediatrics , Subdivision of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital , Rotterdam , The Netherlands.
Regine P M
RPM
Steegers-Theunissen
b Department of Pediatrics , Subdivision of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital , Rotterdam , The Netherlands.|e Department of Neonatology , Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht , Utrecht , The Netherlands.
Jeroen
J
Dudink
D002531:Cerebellum / Q000196:embryology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D049188:Prenatal Injuries
Systematic review; cerebellum; growth and development; human; prenatal