Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42198571›Full record

ArticleToxics2026

Prenatal Exposure to Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Neurological and Cognitive Development in Preschool Children: Evidence from a Birth Cohort in Guangxi, China.

Qingqing Liang, Haiyan Li, Lihong Zhou, Changhui Mu, Mengrui Lin, Qian Liao, Shun Liu, Xiaoqiang Qiu, Dongping Huang, Dongxiang Pan and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Toxics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

11 authors.

Qingqing LiangDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Haiyan LiDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Lihong ZhouDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Changhui MuDepartment of Sanitary Inspection, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Mengrui LinDepartment of Sanitary Inspection, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Qian LiaoDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Shun LiuDepartment of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Xiaoqiang QiuDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9881-3664
Dongping HuangDepartment of Sanitary Inspection, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Dongxiang PanDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Xiaoyun ZengDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.

Funding

First-class discipline innovation-driven talent program of Guangxi Medical UniversityGuangxi Natural Science Foundation 2024GXNSFDA999004National Natural Science Foundation of China 82360648National Natural Science Foundation of China 82560647
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs) are widely used globally, leading to human exposure including pregnant women, and may pose risks of neurocognitive toxicity. In this study, we analyzed 114 mother-child pairs from the Guangxi Zhuang birth cohort. Umbilical cord plasma concentrations of 10 NEOs were measured using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), and child neurocognitive development was assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3). NEOs were frequently detected, with detection rates ranging from 15.8% to 96.5%, and dinotefuran (DIN) showed the highest prevalence. Prenatal exposure to several NEOs was associated with lower neurocognitive scores. Specifically, DIN and clothianidin (CLO) exposure were associated with lower Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), while thiacloprid (THIA) exposure was linked to poorer communication performance. In addition, imidacloprid (IMI) and THIA exposure were associated with reduced gross motor function, and thiamethoxam (TMX) was further associated with reduced fine motor development. Mixed exposure analysis suggested a negative but non-significant association between overall NEO exposure and FSIQ or fine motor outcomes. These findings suggest a potential association between prenatal exposure to NEOs and neurocognitive development in preschool children, highlighting the need for further research to inform public health strategies.

Indexed as

ASQneonicotinoid insecticidesneurocognitive developmentprenatal exposurepreschool childrenWPPSI-IV

Identifiers

PMID42198571
PMCPMC13211703

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Registered trials

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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.