TABLE 2.
Brain morphology at the mean age of 10.1 years among children exposed to high maternal ferritin (n = 200), compared to intermediate maternal ferritin (n = 848) during early pregnancy
| Brain outcome | Outcome treated as natural units (cm3) | Outcome regressed on intracranial volume (SD units) |
|---|---|---|
| Effect estimate (95% CI) | Effect estimate (95% CI) | |
| Total brain volume | −16.02 (−30.57, −1.48) | n/a |
| Cortical grey matter | −7.43 (−14.64, −0.22) | −0.06 (−0.22, 0.10) |
| Subcortical grey matter | −0.41 (−1.03, 0.22) | 0.02 (−0.13, 0.18) |
| Cerebral white matter | −6.51 (−1327, 0.25) | −0.05 (−0.21, 0.11) |
| Cerebellar volume | −1.75 (−3.59, 0.10) | −0.07 (−0.23, 0.09) |
All associations were adjusted for child sex and age at the time of assessment, and the following maternal factors: age at enrolment (years), pre‐pregnancy body‐mass‐index (kg/m2), prospectively self‐reported smoking (none/quit when pregnancy was known/continued) and alcohol consumption (none/quit when pregnancy was known/continued occasionally/continued weekly), education at enrolment (tertiary/lower), parity (primipara/multipara) and intelligence quotient (continuous, assessed among mothers approximately 5 years after delivery).
Abbreviation: CI, Confidence Interval;
Effect estimate: difference in brain volumetric outcomes from magnetic resonance imaging data in natural units (cm3), or in SD units (after the outcome in question has been regressed on total intracranial volume to reveal tissue‐ and region‐specific differences), among children exposed to high maternal ferritin (ferritin SD score >1), compared intermediate ferritin (ferritin SD score between −1 and +1). Maternal ferritin was standardised for gestational age at the time of venepuncture.