BrainChild Lab

The BrainChild Lab is carrying out pioneering research in the field of environmental epidemiology and child health, with a special focus on mental health and brain development. The work of the lab has provided unique insights relating air pollution exposure to impaired executive function and alterations in brain morphology and connectivity in children. Extending this line of research, we uncovered the role of climate-related exposures, namely ambient temperature, in shaping psychiatric symptoms, brain development, and sleep.

Another unique signature of our lab is the comprehensive assessment of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure and its relationship with neurodevelopment and sleep in children. Building on this foundation, we coordinate the Horizon Europe project GOLIAT, involving 25 partners from Europe, the US, and Asia. Within this consortium we also lead a major work dedicated to harmonizing cognitive, mental health, and sleep data across 8 European and Asian cohorts.

Our lab also applies state-of-the-art statistical methods to understand the potential causal neuropsychological effects of different environmental exposures. This is particularly important for exposome research, where multiple exposures are assessed simultaneously and causal reasoning is usually not taken into account. We also have substantial expertise on cohort studies.

Selected Papers

• Guxens M, Botella N, Stafoggia M, Canto M, Petricola S, Valentín A, Lertxundi A, Fernández-Somoano A, Freire C, García-Altés A, Diez E, Marí-Dell’Olmo M, Iñiguez C, López MJ, Ramis R, Binter AC. Particulate matter exposure during pregnancy and birth outcomes: exposure windows of susceptibility and socioeconomic inequalities. Eur J Epidemiol. 2025;40(9):1105-1121. doi: 10.1007/s10654-025-01274-1
• Essers E, Kusters M, Granés L, Ballester J, Petricola S, Lertxundi N, Arregi A, Ballester F, Vrijheid M, El Marroun H, Iñiguez C, Tiemeier H, Guxens M. Temperature Exposure and Psychiatric Symptoms in Adolescents from Two European Birth Cohorts. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(1):e2456898. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.56898
• Granés L, Kusters M, Ballester J, Essers E, Petricola S, López-Vicente M, Iñiguez C, Tiemeier H, Muetzel R, Soriano-Mas C, Guxens M. Exposure to Ambient Temperature and Functional Connectivity of Brain Resting-State Networks in Preadolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025;64(11):1317-1328. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.11.023
• Kusters MSW, Binter AC, Muetzel RL, López-Vicente M, Petricola S, Tiemeier H, Guxens M. Outdoor residential air pollution exposure and the development of brain volumes across childhood: a longitudinal study. Environ Pollut. 2025;373:126078. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126078
• Kusters MSW, Granés L, Petricola S, Tiemeier H, Muetzel RL, Guxens M. Exposure to residential air pollution and the development of functional connectivity of brain networks throughout adolescence. Environ Int. 2025;196:109245. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.109245
• Mou Y, Kusters MSW, Robinson O, Maitre L, McEachan RRC, Yuan WL, Hjertager Krog N, Andrušaitytė S, Bustamante M, de Castro Pascual M, Dedele A, Wright J, Grazuleviciene R, Aasvang GM, Lepeule J, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Tiemeier H, Vrijheid M, Thomson EM, Guxens M. Outdoor air pollution, road traffic noise, and allostatic load in children aged 6-11 years: evidence from six European cohorts. Eur J Epidemiol. 2025;40(5):537-548. doi: 10.1007/s10654-025-01227-8
• Brennan Kearns P, van den Dries MA, Julvez J, Kampouri M, López-Vicente M, Maitre L, Philippat C, Småstuen Haug L, Vafeiadi M, Thomsen C, Yang TC, Vrijheid M, Tiemeier H, Guxens M. Association of exposure to mixture of chemicals during pregnancy with cognitive abilities and fine motor function of children. Environ Int. 2024;185:108490. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108490

Selected Projects

• GOLIAT — 5G expOsure, causaL effects, and rIsk perception through citizen engAgemenT