New Delhi: A new research has found that exposure to hot and cold environments in babies and fetuses has an impact on the white matter of the brain, which is responsible for connecting different brain regions and enabling communication.
The researchers said children are especially sensitive to extreme environments because their body's temperature regulation processes are still immature.
They also found that early exposure can have lasting effects on the microstructure of white matter in the brain.
These findings have been published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
“We know that the developing brains of fetuses and children are particularly sensitive to environmental exposures, and there is some preliminary evidence to suggest that exposure to cold and heat affects mental health and cognitive performance in children and adolescents. Maybe,” said lead researcher Monica.Guxens, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain, and corresponding author of the study.
However, there is a lack of evidence about how such exposure might lead to structural changes in the brain, Gookens said.
The research team studied the monthly temperature exposure of nearly 2,700 preteens from birth to age eight. They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans.
The effects of exposure were measured between the ages of nine–12.To this end, the researchers assessed the preteens' white matter connectivity by measuring how water flows and diffuses in their brain, or 'mean diffusivity'.
The study said that in more mature brains, water flows more in one direction than in all directions, leading to lower average diffusion.
The team found that exposure to cooler-than-usual temperatures during pregnancy and the first year of life, and to warmer-than-usual temperatures from birth to three years of age, were associated with greater mean diffusivity in pre-adolescence, which led to slower growth. Points towards. The maturity of their white matter.
“White matter fibers are responsible for connecting different areas of the brain, enabling communication between them.As white matter develops, this communication becomes faster and more efficient," said first author Laura Greness, a researcher at ISGlobal.
"Our study is like a photograph at a particular moment in time and what we see in that image is that participants exposed to cold and heat show differences in one parameter – average prevalence – which is associated with lower levels of maturity. It's related to white matter,'' Grans said.
Previous studies have shown that changes in mean prevalence are related to poor cognitive function and mental health problems.
The researchers said children are especially sensitive to extreme environments because their body's temperature regulation processes are still immature.
They also found that early exposure can have lasting effects on the microstructure of white matter in the brain.
These findings have been published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
“We know that the developing brains of fetuses and children are particularly sensitive to environmental exposures, and there is some preliminary evidence to suggest that exposure to cold and heat affects mental health and cognitive performance in children and adolescents. Maybe,” said lead researcher Monica.Guxens, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain, and corresponding author of the study.
However, there is a lack of evidence about how such exposure might lead to structural changes in the brain, Gookens said.
The research team studied the monthly temperature exposure of nearly 2,700 preteens from birth to age eight. They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans.
The effects of exposure were measured between the ages of nine–12.To this end, the researchers assessed the preteens' white matter connectivity by measuring how water flows and diffuses in their brain, or 'mean diffusivity'.
The study said that in more mature brains, water flows more in one direction than in all directions, leading to lower average diffusion.
The team found that exposure to cooler-than-usual temperatures during pregnancy and the first year of life, and to warmer-than-usual temperatures from birth to three years of age, were associated with greater mean diffusivity in pre-adolescence, which led to slower growth. Points towards. The maturity of their white matter.
“White matter fibers are responsible for connecting different areas of the brain, enabling communication between them.As white matter develops, this communication becomes faster and more efficient," said first author Laura Greness, a researcher at ISGlobal.
"Our study is like a photograph at a particular moment in time and what we see in that image is that participants exposed to cold and heat show differences in one parameter – average prevalence – which is associated with lower levels of maturity. It's related to white matter,'' Grans said.
Previous studies have shown that changes in mean prevalence are related to poor cognitive function and mental health problems.
