Severe intrapartum hypoxia is associated with neurodevelopmental disability, however little is known about the possible long-term effects of mild hypoxia during birth on subsequent neurodevelopment. Around one in 30 neonates have an initially low Apgar Score (less than 7) but recover by 5-10 minutes and the accepted view is such hypoxia can only cause later disability if the infant develops encephalopathy. There is evidence that perinatal hypoxia can injure areas of the brain which are more concerned with cognitive function, only becoming apparent later in life when cognitive function becomes possible to assess.

The aim of the proposed fellowship is the study the association of initially low Apgar Scores, a measure of fetal compromise, with measures of neurodevelopment age 8-10 years and in early adulthood (age 18) in two complimentary datasets. The first dataset is based on a linkage of the Swedish birth register (including 1, 5 and 10 minute Apgar Scores) with the conscription intelligence test records (age 18) of around 110,000 Swedish men. The second complementary dataset , the Bristol-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a birth cohort of 14,000 intants containing more detailed measures of neurodevelopment up to age of 10 years.