Plastic Chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) may Reduce Cognitive Skills

Prenatal or early exposure of your children to Bisphenol A (BPA) – the plastic chemical may harm brain development as well as reduce cognitive function

Rat study revealed that prenatal and early exposure to phthalates was linked to smaller medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). mPFC is the brain region involved in deep and dreamless sleep mechanism. The study was carried out by researchers including Janice Juraska, from the University of Illinois in the US.

They also performed poorly on an attention-switching task than those not exposed to the chemicals early in life.

Light Weight Plastics Made of Bisphenol A can Affect Unborn Babies
Heart rate of an unborn baby may get affected by hard plastics made of bisphenol A (BPA), finds a new study.

‘Phthalates -- chemicals that belong to the same class as Bisphenol A (BPA) and used in food packaging and processing materials -- can potentially interfere with hormones important for the developing brain.’

The findings, published in Journal of Neuroscience, showed that perinatal phthalate exposure resulted in a reduction in neuron number, synapse number, size of the mPFC and a deficit in cognitive flexibility for both male and female adult offspring of these rats.

As the mPFC is crucial for high-level cognitive functions, reduced cognitive flexibility is observed in developmental disorders such as autism.

The results show that perinatal phthalate exposure can have long-term effects on the cortex and behaviour of both male and female rats.

New Model can Determine Amount of Bisphenol A that Reaches Fetus through Mother
A new mathematical model developed by scientists at Universitat Rovira shows when bisphenol A can come in contact with the fetus of the mother and develop negative effects on the baby.

The findings are important as humans may be regularly exposed to a variety of phthalates, which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the researchers warned.

Source-IANS

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