Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41584741›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in toxicology2025

Short-chain PFAS exposure during gestation and breastfeeding alters learning and memory in adulthood: possible mechanisms related to brain development.

Luca Lorenzini, Marzia Moretti, Claudia Zanardello, Federica Gallocchio, Vito A Baldassarro, Alessandra Moressa, Lorenzo Zanella, Michele Sannia, Greta Foiani, Corinne Quadalti and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in toxicology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Luca Lorenzini *Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Marzia Moretti *Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Claudia ZanardelloIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy.
Federica GallocchioIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy.
Vito A BaldassarroDepartment of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Alessandra MoressaIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy.
Lorenzo ZanellaDepartment of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Michele SanniaIRET ETS Foundation, Bologna, Italy.
Greta FoianiIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy.
Corinne QuadaltiInterdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research in Health Sciences and Technologies - CIRI Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Maura CescattiIRET ETS Foundation, Bologna, Italy.
Valentina BuratoIRET ETS Foundation, Bologna, Italy.
Margherita SoncinIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy.
Marzia MancinIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy.
Luciana GiardinoDepartment of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Franco MutinelliIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy.
Marta Vascellari *Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy.
Laura Calzà *Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research in Health Sciences and Technologies - CIRI Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Exposure to long-chain perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) during development has been consistently associated with cognitive impairment and behavioural changes in humans. These concerns have led to regulatory restrictions and a shift towards short-chain PFASs as alternatives. However, experimental evidence on the neurodevelopmental impact of short-chain PFASs remains scarce, despite their increasing detection in drinking water and human biomonitoring studies. Methods: This study provides the first experimental evidence of the neurodevelopmental toxicity of maternal exposure to the short-chain PFASs GenX and PFBA, administered before mating, throughout gestation, and during lactation. Results: In a rat model, offspring from exposed dams displayed significant impairments in spatial learning and cognitive flexibility in the Morris water maze. Mechanistic investigations on PFBA exposure Discussion: Our findings indicate that even short-chain PFASs, currently considered safer substitutes, may disrupt brain development, leading to persistent neuroinflammation and impaired cognitive function. These results highlight an urgent need to reassess the developmental safety of short-chain PFASs and to include neurodevelopmental endpoints in future risk assessments and regulatory policies.

Indexed as

cognitionGenXhippocampusneurodevelopmentneuroinflammationperfluorobutanoic acidrisk assessmentshort-chain perfluoroalkyl substances

Identifiers

PMID41584741
PMCPMC12823842

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.