Relationship among symptoms of developmental disorders and genetic and environmental risk factors based on covariance structure analysis

Research Project

Project/Area Number	17H04137
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Hygiene and public health
Research Institution	Wakayama Medical University
Principal Investigator	Yoshimasu Kouichi 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (40382337)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	津野香奈美神奈川県立保健福祉大学, ヘルスイノベーション研究科, 講師 (30713309) 竹村重輝和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (70511559) 龍田希東北大学, 医学系研究科, 講師 (40547709) 柳沼梢尚絅学院大学, 総合人間科学系, 講師 (70635440)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
Budget Amount *help	¥16,380,000 (Direct Cost: ¥12,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,780,000) Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000) Fiscal Year 2018: ¥7,150,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,650,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥7,540,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,740,000)
Keywords	ADHD / 自閉症 / 知的能力 / 環境化学物質 / 経済的要因 / 保育士 / 発達性協調運動障害 / 共分散構造分析 / 発達障害 / 環境要因 / 遺伝要因 / 画像解析 / 母親の精神状態 / 保育士のストレス
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Relationship among infants' development disorders related symptoms (autism, ADHD, intellectual disability) assessed by nursery teachers and psychologist, and genetic and environmental factors, was evaluated in population-based couples of 3-yeas old infants and their mothers. Covariant structure analysis was performed using those infants' clinical disorders-related symptoms and annual familial income as well as nutrition and metal data in umbilical cord or maternal blood. In addition, geographical variable was added, which might reflect some differences of mental stress among nursery teachers in that area. As a result, we found strong positive correlation among autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability. We also found that total cholesterol in umbilical cord was positively and significantly associated with infants' ADHD-like symptoms. Finally, we confirmed that assessment of infants' problematic behaviors due to the disorders was more precise by nursery teachers than by mothers.
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	今回の研究によって、遺伝要因や経済要因、環境化学物質と発達障害の間にはほとんど関連性は認めなかったが、臍帯血総コレステロール量と幼児のADHD傾向の間には有意な正の相関を認めた。脳の形成発達に必要なコレステロールが、ADHDのような未熟脳では、母体の臍帯静脈に依存している可能性が示唆され、ADHDの早期発見に繋がる知見と考えられた。また、幼児の発達障害に影響を与える保育士の精神的ストレスに地域差がみられたことと、保育士の幼児の問題行動評価が母親よりも正確であったことは、幼児の発達障害の評価には保育士による評価が必須であるとともに、その保育士に対する精神的ケアが必要であることが示唆された。