SynthesisEnvironmental health : a global access science source2023
Sex difference of pre- and post-natal exposure to six developmental neurotoxicants on intellectual abilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of human studies.
Synthesis in Environmental health : a global access science source, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Quantifying uncertainty: a practical comparison of Bayesian and frequentist meta-analytic frameworks applied to lead exposure and children's IQ.BMC medical research methodology · 2026Pooled it
- Psychometric Evaluation of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT-I) in Turkish Middle School Students Aged 10-14 Years.Journal of Intelligence · 2026Article
- Article
- Developmental manganese exposure, but not concurrent lead, alters social processing selectively in male mice.iScience · 2026Article
- Activation of anti-inflammatory pathways by polyunsaturated fatty acid signaling may protect neurodevelopment in children prenatally exposed to methylmercury.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- Sex and tissue resolved co-expression networks reveal a female placental-brain axis protective against prenatal PCB exposure.Genome biology · 2026Article
- Mind the Litter: The Critical Role of Intralitter Variables in Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Research.Birth defects research · 2026Review
- Not just neurons: glial mechanisms driving sex-specific vulnerability to withdrawal and relapse in substance use disorder.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- Air pollution mixtures and cognitive outcomes in children: associations with school-age exposure and sex differences.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution and Risk for Attention-Deficit/hyperactivity Disorder in Children.Research on child and adolescent psychopathology · 2026Article
- Endocrine-disrupting properties of heavy metal exposure contribute to the intergenerational effects on learning and memory.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes relevant to autism in juvenile mice exposed to PCB 11 in the maternal diet throughout gestation and lactation.Frontiers in toxicology · 2026Article
- Impact of a prenatal exposure mixture of metals on DNA methylation-derived cell-type composition in cord blood.Environmental epigenetics · 2026Article
- Through the Eye: Retinal Changes of Prenatal Mercury Exposure in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Canada.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Ethanol Exposure Increases Oxygen Consumption by Developing Cerebral Arteries in a Trimester-, Concentration- and Sex-Dependent Manner.Biomolecules · 2025Article
- Association between urinary heavy metal concentrations, thyroid hormones, and birth outcomes among pregnant women in Isfahan City.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Associations between Maternal Urinary Metabolite Concentrations of Selected Volatile Organic Compounds and Child Neurocognitive Development at Two Years of Age.Environmental health perspectives · 2025Article
- Early-Life Low Lead Levels and Academic Achievement in Childhood and Adolescence.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- A Narrative Review on the Effect of Valproic Acid on the Placenta.Birth defects research · 2025Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEarly life exposure to lead, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybromide diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organophosphate pesticides (OPPs), and phthalates have been associated with lowered IQ in children. In some studies, these neurotoxicants impact males and females differently. We aimed to examine the sex-specific effects of exposure to developmental neurotoxicants on intelligence (IQ) in a systematic review and meta-analysis.
methodWe screened abstracts published in PsychINFO and PubMed before December 31st, 2021, for empirical studies of six neurotoxicants (lead, mercury, PCBs, PBDEs, OPPs, and phthalates) that (1) used an individualized biomarker; (2) measured exposure during the prenatal period or before age six; and (3) provided effect estimates on general, nonverbal, and/or verbal IQ by sex. We assessed each study for risk of bias and evaluated the certainty of the evidence using Navigation Guide. We performed separate random effect meta-analyses by sex and timing of exposure with subgroup analyses by neurotoxicant.
resultsFifty-one studies were included in the systematic review and 20 in the meta-analysis. Prenatal exposure to developmental neurotoxicants was associated with decreased general and nonverbal IQ in males, especially for lead. No significant effects were found for verbal IQ, or postnatal lead exposure and general IQ. Due to the limited number of studies, we were unable to analyze postnatal effects of any of the other neurotoxicants.
conclusionDuring fetal development, males may be more vulnerable than females to general and nonverbal intellectual deficits from neurotoxic exposures, especially from lead. More research is needed to examine the nuanced sex-specific effects found for postnatal exposure to toxic chemicals.
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.