Observational studyThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2020
First-Trimester Prenatal Dexamethasone Treatment Is Associated With Alterations in Brain Structure at Adult Age.
Observational study in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Epigenetic effects of endogenous and exogenous glucocorticosteroids during pregnancy on the offspring: a systematic-narrative review.Hormones (Athens, Greece) · 2025Pooled it
- Sexually-dimorphic offspring outcomes following antenatal corticosteroids: a review of the evidence for congenital adrenal hyperplasia and preterm birth risk.Biology of sex differences · 2026Review
- The mechanism and clinical significance of FKBP5 gene DNA methylation in various psychiatric, metabolic and tumor-related diseases.Frontiers in genetics · 2026Review
- Antenatal Diagnosis and Treatment in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Due to 21-hydroxylase Deficiency and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Screening in NewbornsJournal of clinical research in pediatric endocrinology · 2025Review
- Fertility in congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency: a review.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Review
- An update on the long-term outcomes of prenatal dexamethasone treatment in congenital adrenal hyperplasia.Endocrine connections · 2023Review
- Pregnancy and Prenatal Management of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- First Trimester Dexamethasone Treatment Is Not Associated With Alteration in Resting-state Connectivity at Adolescent or Adult Age.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2022Article
- Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in Children and Adults Prenatally Exposed to Dexamethasone Treatment.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2022Article
- Prenatal dexamethasone treatment for classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency in Europe.European journal of endocrinology · 2022Article
- Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia-Current Insights in Pathophysiology, Diagnostics, and Management.Endocrine reviews · 2022Review
- The way toward adulthood for females with nonclassic congenital adrenal hyperplasia.Endocrine · 2021Review
- Prenatal Glucocorticoid-Exposed Infants Do Not Show an Age-Typical Fear Bias at 8 Months of Age - Preliminary Findings From the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- First-Trimester Prenatal Dexamethasone Treatment Is Associated With Alterations in Brain Structure at Adult Age.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2020Observational
- Case Report: Late-Onset Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Acute Covid-19 Infection in a Pregnant Woman: Multidisciplinary Management.Frontiers in endocrinology · 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
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextPrenatal treatment of human disease is rare. Dexamethasone (DEX) is used in pregnancies at risk for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) to prevent virilization in an affected female fetus. The safety and long-term consequences of prenatal DEX exposure on the brain are largely unknown.
objectiveWe investigate whether first-trimester prenatal DEX treatment is associated with alterations in brain structure at adult age, and if these alterations are associated with DNA methylation, mood, and cognitive abilities. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
participantsT1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging scans, from a single research institute, are compared between 19 (9 women) first-trimester DEX-treated individuals, at risk of CAH but not having CAH, and 43 (26 women) controls (age range, 16.0-26.4 years).
resultsDEX-treated participants showed bilateral enlargement of the amygdala, increased surface area and volume of the left superior frontal gyrus, and widespread increased radial, mean, and axial diffusivity of white matter, in particular in the superior longitudinal fasciculi and corticospinal tracts. In the DEX-treated group, increased mean and radial diffusivity correlated with increased methylation of the promotor region of the FKBP5 gene. There were no group differences in cognition or in scales assessing depression or anxiety, and the relationship between brain structure and cognition did not differ between DEX-treated and controls.
conclusionsFirst-trimester prenatal DEX treatment is associated with structural alterations of the brain at adult age, with an accompanying change in gene methylation. The findings add to the safety concerns of prenatal DEX treatment in the context of CAH.
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Registered trials
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