Temperature exposure and children's brain development

In the context of the ongoing climate change emergency, there is growing concern about the impacts of increasingly extreme temperatures on children’s health, but the effects of extreme temperatures on children's brain development remain underexplored. This thesis investigated the effects of temperature exposure on brain structure and function in children, identifying potential susceptibility periods. The three studies of this thesis were embedded within the Generation R Study, a birth cohort in Rotterdam. Residential-level ambient temperatures were estimated with the high-resolution climate model UrbClim. Children underwent three magnetic resonance imaging brain scans at mean ages 8, 10, and 14, in which brain microstructure, macrostructure, and functional connectivity were assessed. Results showed that exposure to extreme temperatures was associated with poorer white matter integrity, slower growth of the thalamus and hippocampus, and lower functional connectivity in three resting-state networks. Children in lower socioeconomic status neighbourhoods were more susceptible to cold exposure. These results suggest that exposure to high and low temperatures during childhood may affect brain structure and function, potentially influencing children’s behavioural and cognitive development.