Babies born to mothers with anaemia have smaller brains, particularly in regions associated with movement, learning, and emotion regulation, according to a new study. Researchers suggest these differences, first noted at one year of age, could lead to cognitive problems when children begin school.
The study, conducted by researchers from King’s College London and the University of Cape Town, followed over 300 mothers and their babies in Cape Town. Brain scans of infants between three months and two years old revealed that the total brain volume of babies born to anaemic mothers was, on average, 4% lower than those born to non-anaemic mothers, even when the maternal anaemia was mild.
Specific regions affected included the putamen, caudate nucleus, and corpus callosum, which are implicated in functions such as processing speed, emotion regulation, and executive function. The gap in brain size between the groups of babies increased over the first two years, with the corpus callosum being 4% smaller at 12 months and 6% smaller by 24 months in the group whose mothers had anaemia.
Jessica Ringshaw, a lead researcher, stated that these brain differences do not disappear over time and are still present when children are six years old, potentially translating into more noticeable cognitive difficulties. She added that the findings offer a possible explanation for earlier studies showing that children born to anaemic mothers scored less well on developmental tests.
The researchers are confident that maternal anaemia caused the observed differences, as mothers with and without anaemia were otherwise similar in factors like household income and food security. Ringshaw emphasised the importance of tackling anaemia in women of reproductive age, recommending screening and iron supplementation during pregnancy.
The research, published in the journal Brain Communications, utilised new, more portable MRI scanners. These “low-field” machines were found to be sensitive enough to detect the same brain differences as traditional “high-field” MRI machines.