FALL CONCEPTION INCREASES THE RISK OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER IN OFFSPRING

Hormonal imbalances in utero may render males more vulnerable to neuro developmental disorder (ND) than females. Since hormonal activity can be influenced by photoperiod, the relationship between season of conce ption and incidence of ND in offspring was examined within 11,578 moth er/child pairs. Fall conception significantly elevated the odds for me ntal retardation, reading, arithmetic disability, or performance aptit ude deficits (but not seizures, articulation disorder, cerebral palsy, or verbal aptitude deficits), and decreased the odds for reading tale nt (even when socioeconomic class, prenatal visits, infections, fever, vomiting, edema, anemia, and weight loss were covaried). Since the se asonality effect was not stronger in males, and was not specific to th ose NDs caused by left hemisphere dysfunction, the predictions of Gesc hwind and Galaburda (1985a, 1985b, 1985c) were not confirmed.