SynthesisInternational journal of geriatric psychiatry2019
Size at birth and cognitive ability in late life: A systematic review.
Synthesis in International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Associations of Birth Size with Physical and Cognitive Function in Men and Women 60 Years and Older-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Sex differences in the effects of prematurity and/or low birthweight on neurodevelopmental outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses.Biology of sex differences · 2023Pooled it
- Size at birth and cognitive ability in late life: A systematic review.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- Mechanisms and Impact of Cognitive Reserve in Normal Aging and Alzheimer's Disease.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Memory under siege: the cognitive costs of smoking and vaping.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Review
- Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: Early-Life Antecedents and Long-Term Implications for the Brain, Aging, Stroke, and Dementia.Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) · 2024Review
- Impact of In Utero Folate Exposure on DNA Methylation and Its Potential Relevance for Later-Life Health-Evidence from Mouse Models Translated to Human Cohorts.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2022Article
- Sex Differences in Cognitive Health Among Older Adults in India.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionRecent evidence suggests that growth restriction in utero may lead to neurocognitive disorders in late life, either through impaired brain development or adverse metabolic programming.
methodsSystematic review of literature investigating the relationship between size at birth and cognitive abilities in late life. The search, data extraction, and rating for the quality of reporting were conducted independently by two researchers.
resultsOf 533 selected studies, 11 were included in this systematic review and 10 of these were from high-income setting. Of these 11 studies, eight indicated that lower birth weight is a risk factor for lower cognitive function in late life, at least in high-income countries. The reported effect sizes were small and it was not possible to conduct meta-analyses because of clinical heterogeneity DISCUSSION: A modest association of lower birth weight with lower cognitive abilities in late life is consistent with persisting effects of the prenatal environment on brain function. As with all observational studies, confounding is an alternative explanation. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.