ASSOCIATION OF PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO METHYLMERCURY AND n-3 FATTY ACIDS WITH NEUROBEHAVIORAL TEST PERFORMANCE AT AGES 7 AND 10 YEARS

Background and aims: Methylmercury, a worldwide contaminant found in fish and seafood, can have serious adverse effects on the developing nervous system. However, essential nutrients such as the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in fish provide beneficial effects on brain development. Underestimation of the effects of both mercury toxicity and fish benefits may occur from the lack of mutual adjustment. We examined these effects in regard to neurodevelopment in176 children in a Faroese singleton birth cohort. Methods: We determined the cord blood mercury concentration and the relative concentrations of cord serum phospholipid fatty acids. Maternal hair mercury at parturition was also measured. Neuropsychological performance in verbal, motor, attention, spatial, and memory functions was assessed at 7 and 10 years of age. The sum of DHA and EPA represented the total n-3 fatty acid concentration (correlation=0.98, p<0.001) and was ...