Effects of maternal folic acid supplementation during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy on neurocognitive development in the child: an 11-year follow-up from a randomised controlled trial

Caffrey, Aoife; McNulty, Helene; Rollins, Mark; Prasad, Girijesh; Gaur, Pramod; Talcott, Joel B.; Witton, Caroline; Cassidy, Tony; Marshall, Barry; Dornan, James; Moore, Adrian J.; Ward, Mary; Strain, J. J.; Molloy, Anne M.; McLaughlin, Marian; Lees-Murdock, Diane J.; Walsh, Colum P.; Pentieva, Kristina

doi:10.1186/s12916-021-01914-9

Table 3 WISC-IV cognitive assessment and MEG brain imaging in FASSTT Offspring trial participants

From: Effects of maternal folic acid supplementation during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy on neurocognitive development in the child: an 11-year follow-up from a randomised controlled trial

	Placebo (n = 31)	Folic acid (n = 37)	Difference	p value^a	p value^b
WISC-IV assessment
Full Scale IQ	101.5 (96.9, 106.0)	102.8 (99.5, 106.1)	1.3 (− 4.1, 6.7)	0.63	0.85
Boys	103.2 (95.7, 110.7)	101.3 (95.6, 107.0)	1.9 (− 10.9, 7.1)	0.66	0.61
Girls	99.9 (93.8, 106.1)	103.8 (99.5, 108.1)	3.8 (− 3.2, 10.8)	0.28	0.44
Verbal Comprehension	95.0 (90.9, 99.1)	97.5 (94.6, 100.3)	2.5 (− 2.4, 7.3)	0.31	0.45
Boys	97.9 (89.9, 105.9)	95.2 (90.5, 99.9)	2.7 (− 11.6, 6.1)	0.53	0.48
Girls	92.4 (88.5, 96.3)	99.0 (95.2, 102.7)	6.5 (1.2, 11.8)	0.02	0.03
Perceptual Reasoning	106.3 (101.4, 111.2)	104.5 (100.9, 108.2)	1.8 (− 7.6, 4.0)	0.54	0.45
Boys	107.3 (100.3, 114.3)	104.1 (97.5, 110.6)	3.2 (− 12.3, 5.9)	0.47	0.51
Girls	105.5 (98.0, 113.0)	104.9 (100.2, 109.5)	0.6 (− 8.7, 7.5)	0.87	0.85
Working Memory	96.9 (92.3, 101.5)	98.4 (85.5, 101.3)	1.5 (− 3.6, 6.6)	0.55	0.76
Boys	98.2 (92.1, 104.3)	98.4 (93.1, 103.7)	0.2 (− 7.5, 7.8)	0.96	0.97
Girls	95.8 (88.6, 103.1)	98.4 (94.8, 102.0)	2.6 (− 4.6, 9.8)	0.47	0.74
Processing Speed	104.2 (98.9, 109.6)	109.2 (105.9, 112.5)	4.9 (− 1.0, 10.9)	0.10	0.16
Boys	102.3 (94.0, 110.5)	108.4 (102.6, 114.3)	6.1 (− 3.5, 15.8)	0.20	0.21
Girls	105.9 (98.2, 113.7)	109.7 (105.4, 113.9)	3.7 (− 4.3, 11.7)	0.35	0.64
Coding subtest	47.9 (44.5, 51.3)	49.0 (46.6, 51.4)	1.1 (− 2.7, 5.0)	0.78	0.73
Symbol search subtest	24.6 (22.3, 26.9)	27.5 (26.2, 28.8)	2.9 (0.3, 5.5)	0.03	0.03
Cancellation subtest	83.7 (75.8, 91.6)	95.0 (89.6, 100.3)	11.3 (2.5, 20.1)	0.05	0.04
MEG band power in response to the language paradigm^c
Broad [1–48 Hz]^d	48.9 (14.6, 83.2)	32.9 (6.7, 59.0)	16.1 (− 56.6, 24.5)	0.43	0.41
Theta [4–8 Hz]	90.8 (38.1, 143.4)	65.3 (28.7, 102.0)	25.5 (− 84.9, 34.0)	0.36	0.21
Mu [8–12 Hz]	53.9 (26.1, 81.6)	39.2 (15.1, 63.3)	14.6 (− 49.8, 20.5)	0.39	0.46
Beta [13–30 Hz]	26.4 (2.7, 50.1)	109.6 (52.4, 166.8)	83.2 (15.0, 151.4)	0.02	0.01
Low Gamma [30–48 Hz]	40.5 (− 7.6, 88.5)	45.3 (16.0, 74.5)	4.8 (− 46.5, 56.1)	0.49	0.39
High Gamma [49–70 Hz]	30.1 (− 4.4, 64.6)	100.8 (48.6, 153.0)	70.7 (6.5, 135.0)	0.04	0.04

Data presented as mean (95% CI), unless otherwise indicated. Differences between groups were analysed by ^aindependent t test or ^bANCOVA adjusting for covariates: Multiple Deprivation Measure and child’s sex. Statistically significant difference p < .05
^cMEG analysis completed in a subset of children: placebo, n = 14; folic acid, n = 19. Differences between groups were analysed by ^aindependent t test or ^bANCOVA adjusting for child’s sex
^dBroad band [1–48 Hz] is comprised of Theta, Mu, Beta and Low Gamma bands

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