School-age child neurodevelopment following antenatal Zika virus exposure
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
3-19-2025
Journal
Pediatric research
DOI
10.1038/s41390-025-03981-7
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Children exposed antenatally to Zika virus (ZIKV) during the 2015-2016 epidemic are now in school; little is known about their neurodevelopment at this age. The objective was to evaluate neurodevelopment of ZIKV-exposed Colombian children compared to non-exposed controls at ages 5-6. METHODS: In total, 48 normocephalic children with antenatal ZIKV exposure (Cases) were recruited for a longitudinal cohort study in Atlántico, Colombia. Two age-matched control groups of 118 non-ZIKV-exposed children were recruited from same communities as Cases: 63 born before ZIKV epidemic but experienced COVID-19-related school entry delays, and 55 born post-ZIKV epidemic but started school on time. Multi-domain neurodevelopment was assessed at 5-6 years using standardized measures. Standard regression and proportional odds models were used to compare outcomes. P values were adjusted using the Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) (p < 0.05). RESULTS: There were no differences in age at assessment between groups. Case Full-Scale IQ scores were lower than both control groups (p = 0.002), driven by visual reasoning (p < 0.001). Controls with school entry delay had more executive control problems and lower adaptive functioning skills than Cases and Controls without school entry delay. CONCLUSIONS: ZIKV-exposed children have lower cognitive performance compared to controls. Early childhood experiences can affect pediatric outcomes research. IMPACT: Normocephalic ZIKV-exposed children have lower full-scale IQ than their unexposed peers from the same communities. Normocephalic children with antenatal ZIKV exposure have differences in neurodevelopment that can impact them long-term. There is a need for continued follow-up of children with antenatal ZIKV exposure to determine long-term effects on higher-order areas of cognitive function.
APA Citation
Mulkey, Sarah B.; Andringa-Seed, Regan; Corn, Elizabeth; Williams, Meagan E.; Arroyave-Wessel, Margarita; Podolsky, Robert H.; Peyton, Colleen; Msall, Michael E.; Cure, Carlos; and Berl, Madison M., "School-age child neurodevelopment following antenatal Zika virus exposure" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 6792.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/6792
Department
Neurology