Archive · 10 Sep 2026
Study Links Maternal Anaemia to Smaller Infant Brain Volumes
Researchers studied babies whose mothers had anaemia during pregnancy.
Anaemia means the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells.
The babies exposed to anaemia had slightly smaller brains in some measurements.
Differences could be seen when the babies were about one year old.
By age two, some important brain areas were up to 6% smaller.
These areas help with movement, learning, emotions and communication between brain halves.
The study included 394 mother-infant pairs in Cape Town.
Most mothers had only mild anaemia.
Researchers said preventing and treating anaemia before and during pregnancy may help children develop as well as possible.
Infants exposed to maternal anaemia had up to 4% smaller total brain volumes by age two.
Brain-volume differences were detectable from about 12 months using portable MRI scanners.
The putamen, caudate nucleus and corpus callosum were among the affected regions.
The corpus callosum gap widened from about 4% at 12 months to 6% at 24 months.
Researchers said preventing and treating anaemia before and during pregnancy is important for child development.
- Who
- Researchers from King's College London and the University of Cape Town studied 394 mother-infant pairs.
- What
- The study found that maternal anaemia during pregnancy was associated with smaller infant brain volumes and specific brain regions.
- When
- Differences were measured from about 12 months of age and assessed through the first two years of life.
- Where
- The mother-infant pairs were studied in Cape Town, with infants receiving portable MRI scans.
- Why
- The researchers aimed to understand how antenatal maternal anaemia affects infant brain development and to highlight the importance of prevention and treatment.
- Study participants
- 394 mother-infant pairs in Cape Town
- Total brain-volume difference
- Infants exposed to maternal anaemia had 3.77% smaller intracranial volumes across the first two years, according to the study authors.
- Putamen difference
- Putamen volumes were 3.32% smaller across the first two years in the anaemia-exposed group.
- Corpus callosum difference
- The corpus callosum was about 4% smaller at 12 months and 6% smaller at 24 months.
- Affected regions
- The putamen, caudate nucleus and corpus callosum showed volumetric reductions.
- Detection method
- Researchers used a portable MRI scanner to measure infant brain volumes.
- Publication
- The findings were published in the journal Brain Communications.