Abstract
TEENS AT RISK: CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL EXPOSURES
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol.61(10), pp.S286-S287
10/2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.592
Abstract
Objectives
There is a growing appreciation for the importance of the exposome, the totality of an individual’s exposures, for the origins of neuropsychiatric disorders. Exposure to potential environmental toxicants during periods of rapid brain development may be an important aspect of brain vulnerability resulting in unique pathways of risk. There is widespread and varied exposure of pregnant women, children, and teenagers to air pollution, potential toxicants in water, and pesticides, contributing to the likelihood of these chemicals playing a role in youth neuropsychiatric disorders such as ADHD, ASD, and related social and cognitive processes. Exposures across multiple stages of brain development may culminate in particular mental health risks for adolescents.
Methods
This panel will bring together 4 lines of investigation on environmental exposures that may affect adolescent mental health.
Results
The science presented here uses animal models and human epidemiologic studies to investigate how air pollution, potential toxicants in water, or pesticides impact adolescent mental health through changes in hippocampal growth, the gut-brain axis, DNA methylation, and dopamine functioning. Outcomes will focus on measures of learning, affective symptoms, social behavior, and ADHD-related behavior and neurobiology.
Conclusions
A focus on the science of such exposures and how teens are affected is significant for 4 reasons. First, chemicals in air and water as well as pesticides have molecular properties that directly impact neurobiological systems. Second, mechanisms with small effects on the mature brain may have unexpected and large effects on the developing brain due to distinct molecular, cellular, and behavioral pathways. Third, adolescence is a time when mental health problems of adulthood first appear and is therefore an important time for preventive intervention. Lastly, individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds are at greater risk for potential environmental toxicant exposures, underscoring pathways by which social inequity may be perpetuated. By identifying how potential environmental toxicant exposure during early life affects adolescents, biomarkers and preventive measures can be developed that could reduce the risk for mental health problems, particularly in at-risk teens.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- TEENS AT RISK: CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL EXPOSURES
- Creators
- Amy Margolis - Columbia UniversityHanna Stevens - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Abstract
- Publication Details
- Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol.61(10), pp.S286-S287
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.592
- ISSN
- 0890-8567
- eISSN
- 1527-5418
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/2022
- Academic Unit
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Psychiatry
- Record Identifier
- 9984306742902771
Metrics
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