Mother-Child Prospective Study

The Norwegian Mother-Child cohort study is a large, nation-wide prospective study following Norwegian mothers and their children during development.

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To aid the understanding of the cerebral basis for

early development

In this research project we investigate the brain’s appearance, activity and function and how these factors change in children as they age. We also attempt to map various factors that may affect brain development, such as nutrition, physical activity and genetics. Through studying many healthy children, or what we call a representative sample, over a longer period of time, we can start to understand these relationships.

This project is sub-project of the Norwegian mother and child survey (MoBa), which is one of the world’s largest health surveys.

Objectives

The primary objective is to relate brain development to circumstances during and after pregnancy in 700 children. Children aged 4-11 were recruited through the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa) study and will be examined many times over several years. These data will become part of the MoBa database. We will study six questions, forming the project’s secondary objectives:

How does regional brain development relate to the child´s developmental progress, coping, and cognitive functioning?
What are the trajectories of regional development of the brain’s connections and neuronal tissue?
How is brain and cognitive development modulated by genetic variations?
How does pregnancy duration, birth weight, and newborn health relate to brain and cognitive development?
Is moderate exposure to commonly used drugs during pregnancy related to brain development?
How is nutrition during and after pregnancy related to brain and cognitive development?

Outcomes

The overarching framework is that early influences of biological and environmental origins present in pregnancy interact with genetic and later environmental variables in impacting brain and cognitive development. The results will aid understanding of the brain basis for early development, and may aid early intervention and diagnosis.

Who’s involved

KristineW_2018 — Kristine B Walhovd, Prof.

Stine Kleppe Krogsrud, Foto: UiO — Stine Kleppe Krogsrud, Ph.D.

Funded by

Norwegian Research Council – NevroNor

Publications

4. May 2018/by Hedda Ness

Development of white matter microstructure in relation to verbal and visuospatial working memory – A longitudinal study

PLoS ONE;

Krogsrud S. K.; Fjell A. M.; Tamnes C. K.; Grydeland H.; Due-Tønnesen, P.; Bjørnerud A.; Sampaio-Baptista C.; Andersson J.; Johansen-Berg H.; Walhovd K. B.

11. August 2017/by James M Roe

The corpus callosum as anatomical marker of intelligence? A critical examination in a large-scale developmental study

Brain Structure and Function;

Westerhausen, R., Friesen, C-M., Rohani, D., Krogsrud, S.K., Tamnes, ,C.K., Skranes, J., Håberg, A., Fjell, A.M. & Walhovd, K.B.

12. September 2016/by Athanasia M. Mowinckel

Changes in white matter microstructure in the developing brain-a longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study of children from 4 to 11 years of age

NeuroImage;

Krogsrud, S. K., Fjell, A. M., Tamnes, C. K., Grydeland, H., Mork, L., Due-Tønnessen, P., … & Walhovd, K. B

18. July 2016/by Athanasia M. Mowinckel

Neurodevelopmental origins of lifespan changes in brain and cognition

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America;

Walhovd, K. B., Krogsrud, S. K., Amlien, I. K., Bartsch, H., Bjørnerud, A., Due-Tønnessen, P., ... & Fjell, A

7. June 2016/by Athanasia M. Mowinckel

Selective increase in posterior corpus callosum thickness between the age of 4 and 11 years

Cerebral Cortex;

Westerhausen, R; Fjell, A. M; Krogsrud, S. K; Rohani, D; Skranes, J; Håberg, A & Walhovd, K

29. September 2015/by Athanasia M. Mowinckel

Development and aging of cortical thickness correspond to genetic organization patterns

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America;

Fjell, A M; Grydeland, H; Krogsrud, S K; Amlien, I; Rohani, D A; Ferschmann, L; ... & Walhovd, K B

21. September 2014/by Athanasia M. Mowinckel

Organizing principles of human cortical development – thickness and area from four to thirty years: Insights from comparative primate neuroanatomy

Cerebral Cortex;

Amlien, I; Fjell, A M; Tamnes, C K; Grydeland, H; Krogsrud, S K; Chaplin, T A; Rosa, M GP & Walhovd, K B

30. June 2014/by Athanasia M. Mowinckel

Development of hippocampal subfield volumes from 4 to 22 years

Human Brain Mapping;

Krogsrud, S K; Tamnes, C K; Fjell, A M; Amlien, I; Grydeland, H; Sulutvedt, U; Due-Tønnessen, P; Bjørnerud, A; Sølsnes, A E; Håberg, A; Skranes, J S & Walhovd, K B

27. May 2014/by Athanasia M. Mowinckel

Regional hippocampal volumes and development predict learning and memory

Developmental Neuroscience;
Tamnes, C K; Walhovd, K B; Engvig, A; Grydeland, H; Krogsrud, S K; Østby, Y; Holland, D; Dale, A & Fjell, A M