Prenatal exposure to a plastic chemical can reduce cognitive skills



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New York, July 17 (IANS): Prenatal or early exposure of your children to a plastic chemical can affect brain development and reduce cognitive function, according to a study.

Phthalates chemicals that belong to the same clbad as Bisphenol A (BPA) and used in food packaging and processing materials – can potentially interfere with important hormones for the developing brain.

The study of researchers Janice Juraska, from the University of Illinois in the United States, showed that prenatal and early exposure of phthalates in rats was badociated with a smaller medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) – region of the brain responsible for deep sleep and no dreams.

They also had poor switching performance of attention as those not exposed to chemicals.

The results, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, showed that exposure to perinatal phthalate resulted in a reduction in the number of neurons, the number of synapses, the size of the mPFC and a cognitive deficit . As the CPDP is crucial for high-level cognitive functions, reduced cognitive flexibility is observed in developmental disorders such as autism.

The results show that exposure to perinatal phthalate. may have long-term effects on the cortex and behavior of male and female rats.

The results are important because humans can be regularly exposed to a variety of phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors, warn researchers. ]

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