5 | CONCLUSIONS
This study is the first to investigate the association between neonatal hair metabolome and infant neurobehavior development at 2-3 years of age. Altered metabolic pathways including cysteine and methionine, aminoacyl-tRNA, nicotinate, and nicotinamide metabolism may reflect excessive oxidative stress, reduced protein production, and attenuated nervous system development during the critical window of intrauterine brain development. Metabolome profiles of neonatal hair may be of value in understanding the underlying pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental outcomes and novel predictors of infant neurodevelopment longitudinally.