Papers

Birth weight and cognitive function in young adult life: historical cohort study

^a Department of Internal Medicine V, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, ^b Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, ^c Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA, ^d Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA 02215, USA, ^e Conscription Administration, County of North Jutland, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark

Correspondence to: Dr Toft Sørensen HTS@soci.aau.dk

Objective: To examine the relation between birth weight and cognitive function in young adult life.
Design: Retrospective cohort study based on birth registry data and cognitive function measured during evaluation for military service.
Subjects: 4300 Danish conscripts born between 1973 and 1975.
Main outcome measures: Mean score in the Boerge Prien test of cognitive function; score is the number of correct answers to 78 questions and correlates with full scale intelligence quotient (IQ).
Results: Mean score in the Boerge Prien test increased from 39.9 at a birth weight of 2500 g to 44.6 at a birth weight of 4200 g even after adjustment for gestational age and length at birth, maternal age and parity, and other variables. Above a birth weight of 4200 g the test score decreased slightly.
Conclusion: Birth weight is associated with cognitive performance in young adult life. Interference with fetal growth may influence adult cognitive performance.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Academic achievement of twins and singletons in early adulthood: Taiwanese cohort study

Meng-Ting Tsou, Meng-Wen Tsou, Ming-Ping Wu, and Jin-Tan Liu
BMJ 2008 337: a438. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Zhang, Z. X., Plassman, B. L., Xu, Q., Zahner, G.E.P., Wu, B., Gai, M. Y., Wen, H. B., Chen, X., Gao, S., Hu, D., Xiao, X. H., Shen, Y., Liu, A. M., Xu, T. (2009). Lifespan influences on mid- to late-life cognitive function in a Chinese birth cohort. Neurology 73: 186-194 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Nomura, Y., Halperin, J. M., Newcorn, J. H., Davey, C., Fifer, W. P., Savitz, D. A., Brooks-Gunn, J. (2009). The Risk for Impaired Learning-related Abilities in Childhood and Educational Attainment Among Adults Born Near-term. J Pediatr Psychol 34: 406-418 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Belfort, M. B., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Kleinman, K. P., Oken, E., Gillman, M. W. (2008). Infant Growth and Child Cognition at 3 Years of Age. Pediatrics 122: e689-e695 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Tsou, M.-T., Tsou, M.-W., Wu, M.-P., Liu, J.-T. (2008). Academic achievement of twins and singletons in early adulthood: Taiwanese cohort study. BMJ 337: a438-a438 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Heinonen, K., Raikkonen, K., Pesonen, A.-K., Kajantie, E., Andersson, S., Eriksson, J. G., Niemela, A., Vartia, T., Peltola, J., Lano, A. (2008). Prenatal and Postnatal Growth and Cognitive Abilities at 56 Months of Age: A Longitudinal Study of Infants Born at Term. Pediatrics 121: e1325-e1333 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Kirkegaard, I., Obel, C., Hedegaard, M., Henriksen, T. B. (2006). Gestational Age and Birth Weight in Relation to School Performance of 10-Year-Old Children: A Follow-up Study of Children Born After 32 Completed Weeks. Pediatrics 118: 1600-1606 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Alderman, H., Behrman, J. R. (2006). Reducing the Incidence of Low Birth Weight in Low-Income Countries Has Substantial Economic Benefits. WORLD BANK RES OBS 21: 25-48 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Bergvall, N., Iliadou, A., Tuvemo, T., Cnattingius, S. (2006). Birth Characteristics and Risk of Low Intellectual Performance in Early Adulthood: Are the Associations Confounded by Socioeconomic Factors in Adolescence or Familial Effects?. Pediatrics 117: 714-721 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Bergvall, N., Iliadou, A., Johansson, S., Tuvemo, T., Cnattingius, S. (2006). Risks for Low Intellectual Performance Related to Being Born Small for Gestational Age Are Modified by Gestational Age. Pediatrics 117: e460-e467 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Lawlor, D. A, Batty, G D., Morton, S. M B, Deary, I. J, Macintyre, S., Ronalds, G., Leon, D. A (2005). Early life predictors of childhood intelligence: evidence from the Aberdeen children of the 1950s study. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 59: 656-663 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Lawlor, D. A, Bor, W., O'Callaghan, M. J, Williams, G. M, Najman, J. M (2005). Intrauterine growth and intelligence within sibling pairs: findings from the Mater-University study of pregnancy and its outcomes. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 59: 279-282 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Ashdown-Lambert, J. R (2005). A review of low birth weight: predictors, precursors and morbidity outcomes. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 125: 76-83 [Abstract]  
• Strully, K. W., Conley, D. (2004). Reconsidering Risk: Adapting Public Policies to Intergenerational Determinants and Biosocial Interactions in Health-Related Needs. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 29: 1073-1108 [Abstract]  
• Gale, C. R., O'Callaghan, F. J., Godfrey, K. M., Law, C. M., Martyn, C. N. (2004). Critical periods of brain growth and cognitive function in children. Brain 127: 321-329 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Osler, M, Andersen, A-M N, Due, P, Lund, R, Damsgaard, M T, Holstein, B E (2003). Socioeconomic position in early life, birth weight, childhood cognitive function, and adult mortality. A longitudinal study of Danish men born in 1953. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 57: 681-686 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Pharoah, P O D, Stevenson, C J, West, C R (2003). General Certificate of Secondary Education performance in very low birthweight infants. Arch. Dis. Child. 88: 295-298 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Jefferis, B. J M H, Power, C., Hertzman, C. (2002). Birth weight, childhood socioeconomic environment, and cognitive development in the 1958 British birth cohort study. BMJ 325: 305-305 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Richards, M., Hardy, R., Kuh, D., Wadsworth, M. E. (2002). Birthweight, postnatal growth and cognitive function in a national UK birth cohort. Int J Epidemiol 31: 342-348 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Olsen, J., Melbye, M., Olsen, S. F., Sorensen, T. I.A., Aaby, P., Nybo Andersen, A.-M., Taxbol, D., Hansen, K. D., Juhl, M., Schow, T. B., Sorensen, H. T., Andresen, J., Mortensen, E. L., Wind Olesen, A., Sondergaard, C. (2001). The Danish National Birth Cohort - its background, structure and aim. Scand J Public Health 29: 300-307 [Abstract]  
• Shenkin, S D, Starr, J M, Pattie, A, Rush, M A, Whalley, L J, Deary, I J, PHARAOH, E. P. P O D (2001). Birth weight and cognitive function at age 11 years: the Scottish Mental Survey 1932. Arch. Dis. Child. 85: 189-196 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Matte, T. D, Bresnahan, M., Begg, M. D, Susser, E. (2001). Influence of variation in birth weight within normal range and within sibships on IQ at age 7 years: cohort study. BMJ 323: 310-314 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Nilsson, P. M, Nyberg, P., Ostergren, P.-O. (2001). Increased susceptibility to stress at a psychological assessment of stress tolerance is associated with impaired fetal growth. Int J Epidemiol 30: 75-80 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Leon, D. A (2001). Commentary: Getting to grips with fetal programming--aspects of a rapidly evolving agenda. Int J Epidemiol 30: 96-98 [Full text]  
• Richards, M., Hardy, R., Kuh, D., Wadsworth, M. E J (2001). Birth weight and cognitive function in the British 1946 birth cohort: longitudinal population based study. BMJ 322: 199-203 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Frisancho, A R. (2000). Prenatal compared with parental origins of adolescent fatness. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 72: 1186-1190 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Zhou, W., Sorensen, H. T., Olsen, J. (2000). Induced abortion and low birthweight in the following pregnancy. Int J Epidemiol 29: 100-106 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Ravelli, A. C., van der Meulen, J. H., Osmond, C., Barker, D. J., Bleker, O. P (1999). Obesity at the age of 50 y in men and women exposed to famine prenatally. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 70: 811-816 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Godfrey, K. M., Matthews, N., Glazier, J., Jackson, A., Wilman, C., Sibley, C. P. (1998). Neutral Amino Acid Uptake by the Microvillous Plasma Membrane of the Human Placenta Is Inversely Related to Fetal Size at Birth in Normal Pregnancy. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83: 3320-3326 [Abstract] [Full text]