Season of birth and the risk of dementia in the population‐based Rotterdam Study

Mooldijk, Sanne S; Licher, Silvan; Vinke, Elisabeth J.; Vernooij, Meike W.; Ikram, Mohammad Kamran; Ikram, M. Arfan

doi:10.1007/s10654-021-00755-3

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In contrast, the cohort study by Mooldijk et al observed a higher dementia risk, especially for AD, for participants born in winter and fall compared to those born in summer. The increased risk was most pronounced in those born in colder winters [79].…”

Section: Season Of Birthmentioning

confidence: 96%

Do prenatal factors shape the risk for dementia?: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence for the prenatal origins of dementia

Wiegersma

Boots

Langendam

et al. 2023

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

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Purpose Prenatal factors such as maternal stress, infection and nutrition affect fetal brain development and may also influence later risk for dementia. The purpose of this systematic review was to provide an overview of all studies which investigated the association between prenatal factors and later risk for dementia. Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE and Embase for original human studies reporting on associations between prenatal factors and dementia from inception to 23 November 2022. Prenatal factors could be any factor assessed during pregnancy, at birth or postnatally, provided they were indicative of a prenatal exposure. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. We followed PRISMA guidelines for reporting. Results A total of 68 studies met eligibility criteria (including millions of individuals), assessing maternal age (N = 30), paternal age (N = 22), birth order (N = 15), season of birth (N = 16), place of birth (N = 13), prenatal influenza pandemic (N = 1) or Chinese famine exposure (N = 1), birth characteristics (N = 3) and prenatal hormone exposure (N = 4). We observed consistent results for birth in a generally less optimal environment (e.g. high infant mortality area) being associated with higher dementia risk. Lower and higher birth weight and prenatal famine exposure were associated with higher dementia risk. The studies on season of birth, digit ratio, prenatal influenza pandemic exposure, parental age and birth order showed inconsistent results and were hampered by relatively high risk of bias. Conclusion Our findings suggest that some prenatal factors, especially those related to a suboptimal prenatal environment, are associated with an increased dementia risk. As these associations may be confounded by factors such as parental socioeconomic status, more research is needed to examine the potential causal role of the prenatal environment in dementia.

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Section: Season Of Birthmentioning

confidence: 96%

Do prenatal factors shape the risk for dementia?: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence for the prenatal origins of dementia

Wiegersma

Boots

Langendam

et al. 2023

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

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“…The wider effects of season of birth on human brain structure have been investigated using magnetic resonance imaging with winter births associated with increased grey matter volume of the superior temporal gyrus in a study of over 550 individuals [ 23 ]. However, in a larger study of 13,000 Rotterdam Study participants there was no effect of season of birth on any imaging derived measures [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An epidemiological study of season of birth, mental health, and neuroimaging in the UK Biobank

Viejo-Romero,

Whalley,

Shen

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Environmental exposures during the perinatal period are known to have a long-term effect on adult physical and mental health. One such influential environmental exposure is the time of year of birth which affects the amount of daylight, nutrients, and viral load that an individual is exposed to within this key developmental period. Here, we investigate associations between season of birth (seasonality), four mental health traits (n = 137,588) and multi-modal neuroimaging measures (n = 33,212) within the UK Biobank. Summer births were associated with probable recurrent Major Depressive Disorder (β = 0.026, pcorr = 0.028) and greater mean cortical thickness in temporal and occipital lobes (β = 0.013 to 0.014, pcorr<0.05). Winter births were associated with greater white matter integrity globally, in the association fibers, thalamic radiations, and six individual tracts (β = -0.013 to -0.022, pcorr<0.05). Results of sensitivity analyses adjusting for birth weight were similar, with an additional association between winter birth and white matter microstructure in the forceps minor and between summer births, greater cingulate thickness and amygdala volume. Further analyses revealed associations between probable depressive phenotypes and a range of neuroimaging measures but a paucity of interactions with seasonality. Our results suggest that seasonality of birth may affect later-life brain structure and play a role in lifetime recurrent Major Depressive Disorder. Due to the small effect sizes observed, and the lack of associations with other mental health traits, further research is required to validate birth season effects in the context of different latitudes, and by co-examining genetic and epigenetic measures to reveal informative biological pathways.

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Neonatal maternal separation impairs cognitive function and synaptic plasticity in adult male CD-1 mice

Hu,

Wei,

Fei-Hu

et al. 2024

IBRO Neuroscience Reports

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Season of birth and the risk of dementia in the population‐based Rotterdam Study

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

Do prenatal factors shape the risk for dementia?: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence for the prenatal origins of dementia

Do prenatal factors shape the risk for dementia?: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence for the prenatal origins of dementia

An epidemiological study of season of birth, mental health, and neuroimaging in the UK Biobank

Neonatal maternal separation impairs cognitive function and synaptic plasticity in adult male CD-1 mice

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