Exposure of pregnant women to organophosphate insecticides and child motor inhibition at the age of 10–12 years evaluated by fMRI

Organophosphate pesticides (OP) are widely used for both agricultural and domestic purposes. Epidemiological studies suggest neurotoxicity in children after exposure to organophosphates pesticides (OP) at low levels but possible mechanism is still unclear. We aimed at investigating the effects of prenatal exposure to OPs on inhibitory control of 10–12 year-old-children assessed by a motor inhibition task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Ninety-five children from the PELAGIE cohort (Brittany-France, from 2002) underwent a fMRI examination during which inhibition was assessed by a Go/No-Go task. Task performance was assessed by average response latency, commission rate and composite performance score (PS). Whole brain activation was estimated by modeling the hemodynamic response related to inhibition demand and successful inhibition. OP exposure was assessed by measuring six dialkylphosphate (DAP) metabolites in the urine of women in early pregnancy (