Neurodevelopmental disorders after prenatal famine: The story of the Dutch Famine Study.

The Dutch Famine Study (1) was one of the classic epidemiologic investigations that emerged from the Columbia University School of Public Health in the 1960s. In accord with its initial aim, the study has produced precious clues as to the role of prenatal nutrition in the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders; yet the findings and their implications have emerged piecemeal, over decades. To our knowledge, the various branches of this neurodevelopmental research have never been tied together in a single thread. This commentary is intended to fill the gap and to tell the story of the Dutch Famine Study as an early model for epidemiologic research on prenatal exposures.

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