The association between screen time and genetic risks for neurodevelopmental disorders in children

Nagahide Takahashi; Kenji J Tsuchiya; Akemi Okumura; Taeko Harada; Toshiki Iwabuchi; Md Shafiur Rahman; Hitoshi Kuwabara; Yoko Nomura; Tomoko Nishimura

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115395

The association between screen time and genetic risks for neurodevelopmental disorders in children

Psychiatry Res. 2023 Sep:327:115395. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115395. Epub 2023 Aug 2.

Authors

Nagahide Takahashi¹, Kenji J Tsuchiya², Akemi Okumura², Taeko Harada², Toshiki Iwabuchi², Md Shafiur Rahman², Hitoshi Kuwabara³, Yoko Nomura⁴, Tomoko Nishimura²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan; Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan; United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Japan. Electronic address: n-taka@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
² Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan; United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Japan.
³ Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan; United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Saitama Medical University, Moroyama-chou, Saitama, Japan.
⁴ Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan; Queens College and Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

PMID: 37574599
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115395

Abstract

Whether longer screen time in infancy increases risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD has long been debated, but no causal relationship between the two remains has been established. Using ongoing longitudinal cohort data, we found that in children 24 to 40 months of age, the genetic risk of ASD was associated with longer screen time and that of ADHD with an increase in screen time over time. These data suggest that prolonged screen time may not be a cause of the genetic risk for NDD, but an early sign of NDDs.

Keywords: ASD; PRS; Screen time.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Child, Preschool
Female
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Neurodevelopmental Disorders* / genetics
Risk Factors
Screen Time*