Neurodevelopmental Disorders in the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children (HBC Study)

Abstract

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a collective term that encompasses neuropsychiatric conditions whose manifestations occurs very early in life. Among these, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are the two most common and prevalent disorders. In clinical reality, however, no single sign or symptom that is solely associated with a later diagnosis of ADHD or ASD; early trajectories that lead to ADHD or ASD remains to be investigated. In addition, growing number of studies have reported environmental risk factors for ADHD and ASD, which may account for unexplained aetiology of these disorders. To this point, researchers in this field have been keen to elucidate early trajectories and environmental risk factors for ADHD and ASD using birth cohorts based on general population. The authors established the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children (HBC Study) in 2007. A total of 1258 neonates from 1138 mothers were included and are planned to be followed up for 8 years. The HBC Study team found that five, neurodevelopmental trajectories during the first two years were extracted; three out of five trajectory classes were associated with an increased risk for having a diagnosis of ASD. The HBC Study will provide a unique and valuable resource for providing new insights into neurodevelopmental disorders.