On June 11th, 2025, Queens College published a press release documenting the work and subsequent findings of Queens College Researchers led by Donato DeIngeniis and Distinguished Professor Yoko Nomura regarding the effects of prenatal exposure to climate events alongside extreme ambient heat on child brain development.
The specific climate event examined for this study was Superstorm Sandy, which brought New York to a standstill on Oct. 29th, 2012. The research took into account “extreme ambient heat” which was defined in the study as ambient temperatures at or exceeding 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spearheading this research within the Department of Psychology at QC is lead author, Donato DeIngeniis, a research assistant and second-year doctoral student at the CUNY Graduate Center and Dr. Yoko Nomura, a professor at QC and the CUNY Graduate Center, serves as corresponding author.
In the press release, Queens College President Frank H. Wu said, “The stresses of climate change affect not only mothers, but also children conceived and reared in a warming world—a finding that is meaningful to all of us and certainly a call to action.”
Their study primarily focused on the effects these conditions had on the basal ganglia – a part of the brain historically associated with motor functions but has gained more recent attention for its influence on non-motor functions including emotional regulation.
Essentially, Hurricane Sandy directly impacted the brain development of children in the uterus who were exposed to the climate event. This is in contrast to the extreme heat which did not directly cause any impacts, but did contribute to negative effects already established by prenatal exposure to the storm.
These findings should matter to many in NYC and the QC community because of the ever-increasing impacts of climate change that range from increased frequency of storms like SS, to ambient temperatures continuing to climb.
The published research article was also contributed to by Melissa Blum, Rebecca M. Lee, and Ahmed Duke Shereen. According to the aforementioned press release, the research was also supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), a CUNY-wide union that represents roughly 30,000 faculty.
To add to their findings, The New York State Climate Impacts Assessment states that, “Climate change is creating conditions that will increase the frequency and severity of many types of extreme events. Several types of storms are expected to become more intense, with heavier rainfall, stronger winds, and higher storm surge along the coast driven by sea level rise.”
Because of climate change, now historic events such as hurricanes or superstorms like Sandy may become more prevalent and even stronger when they do arrive, thus repeating these adverse impacts on child development should they and their mothers be exposed to stressful and potentially dangerous climate events.
Alongside this, the same organization says, “Days above 90°F and days above 95°F are projected to become more common across all regions of New York. Multiday heat waves are expected to occur more often and last longer in the decades ahead.”
With this in mind, the results of these researchers are given a pressing meaning. While growing ambient temperatures during prenatal stages may not cause adverse effects on child development, they can further exacerbate any adverse effects on child development that more prevalent extreme weather events would cause.
This statement from the QC president coincides with the conclusions reached in the published research article from PLOS One on June 11th which says:
“Prenatal exposure to SS impacted child brain development. Extreme heat amplified this risk via increased and reduced brain volume from different basal ganglia subregions. Alongside promoting initiatives to combat climate change, increasing awareness of the potential dangers of exposure to extreme climate events for pregnant individuals is vital for protecting long-term child brain development.”
While these current results are already quite striking and relevant to many of us, there is still work to be done. The QC press release explains that this study is planned to be continued with brain scans underway for children at the prepubescent stage of development. This is alongside plans for more neuroimaging assignments once these children reach pubescence.
We await any further findings regarding these compounding and ever-pressing issues faced by families across our communities.
