Heat exposure during pregnancy, early childhood may affect brain development, new study finds

Heat may have lasting effects on brain development for children, a new study suggests.

Heat may have lasting effects on brain development for children, a new study suggests. According to research published in the Environment International journal, exposure to high temperatures during the early stages of life, including pregnancy, is linked to slower growth of the thalamus – a region in the brain involved in processing information – later in childhood. The study, first published online in June, was led by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).

Experts say the brain develops rapidly during pregnancy and the first years of life, making it especially sensitive to environmental factors. The findings raise concerns about the impact of extreme temperatures on children’s health as a result of climate change, according to the report. “With global temperatures continuing to rise, measures to reduce heat exposure during pregnancy and early infancy could play an important role in protecting children’s brain development,” Mònica Guxens, a co-ordinator of the study and a research professor at ISGlobal, said in a press release shared by the institute Monday.

The study examined more than 3,200 children from the Netherlands’ Generation R research project, a population-based prospective cohort study. According to Laura Granés, a researcher and co-