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. 2019 Aug;34(8):1139-1169.
doi: 10.1002/gps.5138. Epub 2019 Jun 13.

Size at birth and cognitive ability in late life: A systematic review

Murali Krishna  1   2 , Steven Jones  3 , Michelle Maden  4 , Bharath Du  1 , Ramya Mc  2 , Kalyanaraman Kumaran  2   5 , Samuel Christraprasad Karat  2   6 , Caroline H D Fall  5
Affiliations

Size at birth and cognitive ability in late life: A systematic review

Murali Krishna et al. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that growth restriction in utero may lead to neurocognitive disorders in late life, either through impaired brain development or adverse metabolic programming.

Methods: Systematic review of literature investigating the relationship between size at birth and cognitive abilities in late life. The search, data extraction, and rating for the quality of reporting were conducted independently by two researchers.

Results: Of 533 selected studies, 11 were included in this systematic review and 10 of these were from high-income setting. Of these 11 studies, eight indicated that lower birth weight is a risk factor for lower cognitive function in late life, at least in high-income countries. The reported effect sizes were small and it was not possible to conduct meta-analyses because of clinical heterogeneity DISCUSSION: A modest association of lower birth weight with lower cognitive abilities in late life is consistent with persisting effects of the prenatal environment on brain function. As with all observational studies, confounding is an alternative explanation. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms.

Keywords: DOHaD; birth weight; cognition; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors declare any conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram illustrating the process of selection of eligible studies for this systematic review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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