One-Carbon Metabolism in Nepalese Infant?Mother Pairs and Child Cognition at 5 Years Old

Background: One-carbon metabolism (OCM) refers to the transfer of methyl groups central to DNA methylation and histone modification. Insufficient access to methyl donors and B-vitamin cofactors affects epigenetic maintenance and stability, and when occurring in early life may impact future health and neurodevelopment. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the relative associations between one-carbon metabolites in Nepalese mother-infant pairs and child cognition measured at 5 y of age. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study from Bhaktapur, Nepal, in a population at high risk of subclinical B-vitamin deficiencies and cumulative infection burden. Venous blood samples from 500 mother-infant pairs were collected when the infants were 2 to 12 mo old, and metabolite concentrations measured by microbiological assays and GC-tandem MS. We re-enrolled 321 of these children at 5 y and assessed cognition by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, 3rd edition, and subtests from the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, 2nd edition (NEPSY-II). The associations of the independent metabolites or unobserved metabolic phenotypes (identified by latent class analysis) with the cognitive outcomes were estimated by seemingly unrelated regression. We explored direct and indirect relations between the OCM pathway and the cognitive outcomes using path analysis. Results: Infant cystathionine concentration was inversely associated with 4 cognitive outcomes (standardized beta s ranging from -0.22 to -0.11, P values from < 0.001 to 0.034). Infants with a metabolic phenotype indicating impaired OCM and low vitamin B-12 status had poorer cognitive outcomes compared with infants with normal OCM activity and adequate vitamin B-12 status (standardized beta s ranging from -0.80 to -0.40, P < 0.001 and 0.05). In the path analysis, we found several OCM biomarkers were associated with affect recognition through infant plasma cystathionine. Conclusions: Elevated plasma cystathionine during infancy reflects a metabolic phenotype of impaired OCM and low vitamin B-12 status and is associated with poorer cognitive function when the children are 5 y old. J Nutr 2021;151:883-891.

Automated summary

This study examined the relationship between one-carbon metabolism in Nepalese mother-infant pairs and child cognition. The findings suggest that elevated plasma cystathionine during infancy reflects impaired one-carbon metabolism and low vitamin B-12 status, which is associated with poorer cognitive function in 5-year-old children.