Grant: Project Grant

Globally, neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death, and its health and economic tolls are expected to increase. Neurological disorders with early onset in life such as cerebral palsy, autism, and epilepsy have multiple lifelong comorbidities in developmental outcomes including sensory-motor and cognitive impairments and poor behaviour control. Although damage to the developing brain is identified as a cause, the cause of the brain damage is poorly understood. The functional architecture of the brain is formed during gestation, prenatal exposures to maternal illnesses would have adverse effects on the brain development. Two of the most common maternal illnesses during pregnancy are diabetes and severe maternal morbidity (SMM) defined by the presence of multiple life-threatening and disabling diseases and conditions (e.g., eclampsia, thromboembolism, and hemorrhagic disorders). Nevertheless, evidence on the effects of maternal morbidity during pregnancy on offspring neuro-developmental outcomes are scarce and inconclusive. In this study, we propose to systematically examine burdens of major childhood neuro-developmental disorders and effects of maternal diabetes and severe maternal morbidity on neuro-developmental disorders in Canadian children born between 2002-2020 in Ontario. Our research will provide evidence that is needed to assess the current and future burdens of neuro-developmental health in children, to understand their causal mechanisms, and to plan further research on management and preventive interventions.