Victoria Hall Moran - Nutrition and the Developing Brain

Nutrition and the Developing Brain

Nutrition and the Developing Brain

Edited by

Victoria Hall Moran
Nicola M. Lowe

CRC Press

Taylor & Francis Group

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2017 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

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Version Date: 20160614

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4822-5473-0 (Hardback)

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Moran, Victoria Hall, editor. | Lowe, Nicola, editor.

Title: Nutrition and the developing brain / editors, Victoria Hall Moran and

Nicola M. Lowe.

Other titles: Nutrition and the developing brain (Moran)

Description: Boca Raton : Taylor & Francis, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016006498 | ISBN 9781482254730 (alk. paper)

Subjects: | MESH: Brain--growth & development | Micronutrients--metabolism | Nutrition Disorders--complications | Nutrition Disorders--prevention & control | Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena

Classification: LCC QP376 | NLM WL 300 | DDC 612.8/2--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016006498

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Contents

Bryan Kolb, Celeste Halliwell, and Robbin Gibb

Jenalee R. Doom and Michael K. Georgieff

Lotte Lauritzen, Laurine B.S. Harslf, Louise B. Srensen, and Camilla T. Damsgaard

Stephanie A. Dillon and Heather Ohly

Victoria Hall Moran

Harry J. McArdle, Michael K. Georgieff, and William D. Rees

Andreas M. Grabrucker

Sheila A. Skeaff and Shao J. Zhou

Nicola M. Lowe

Parul Christian and Laura E. Murray-Kolb

Maureen M. Black and Jennifer M. Reid

Adequate nutrition for pregnant women and infants is necessary for normal brain development. Pregnancy and infancy are critical periods for the formation of the brain, laying the foundation for the development of cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional skills throughout childhood and adulthood. Evidence for the critical role of several nutrients on brain growth and development, for example, the relationship between iron and iodine deficiencies in early life and compromised cognitive and motor functions in young children, is now well established. However, more recent research has indicated that many other micronutrients, such as zinc and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may also play a role in early brain development. Many of these nutrients are found in high levels in the brain, particularly the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in learning and memory.

The impact of a lack of both macro- and micronutrients during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood must be understood in the context of multiple biological and environmental influences as well as the interactions between them. For example, low-birthweight infants born into families with high socio-economic status are at a lower risk for poor developmental outcomes than those born into disadvantaged environments. Thus, protective environmental factors can, in some cases, buffer the potential negative effects of undernutrition. Conversely, undernourished children from disadvantaged homes where protective factors are lacking may show more response to nutrition (and other forms of) intervention.

This book takes a unique, integrative approach to the nutritional, environmental, and genetic influences on brain development, including evidence from both animal and human research. Issues surrounding single versus multiple limiting nutrients, critical periods of deficiency, and the impact of a childs early environment of relationships on the developing brain architecture are considered.

In , Professor Bryan Kolb and colleagues introduce key concepts in brain development and how this process is influenced by a wide range of experiences, exhibiting a remarkable capacity for a change in plasticity. They explain that although the impact of nutrition on brain development is well established, little is known about how nutritional changes interact with the many other factors that influence brain development. In particular, we still know little about how nutrition might alter the effects of other negative early experiences such as stress, abnormal parent and peer relationships, and intestinal flora and which mechanism(s) might mediate these effects.

Jenalee Doom and Professor Michael Georgieff outline the neurodevelopmental effects of pre- and postnatal macronutrient deprivation and biological mechanisms of action in . The beneficial impact of macronutrient supplementation, even in the absence of specific micronutrient supplementation, is described. The authors advocate that for populations that are experiencing or are at risk for prenatal or postnatal malnutrition, macronutrient supplementation should be considered, as macronutrient deficiencies are an independent risk factor for poorer developmental outcomes. With appropriate intervention during optimal developmental periods, it has been claimed that millions of individuals who are currently experiencing macronutrient deficiencies may become closer to fulfilling their developmental potential.

Professor Lotte Lauritzen and colleagues summarize the accumulating evidence for the role of certain long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) in early brain development in . Available evidence, specifically from more recently conducted studies, suggests that docosahexaenoic acid could play a role in brain development in a sex-specific way, although presently, it is not easy to interpret whether an early DHA supply results in improved brain function or merely a change in development. It is possible that DHA may not only affect intellectual abilities as such, but rather certain basic aspects of brain function related to the way in which we interact with the world, for example, personality traits, monoaminergic-controlled emotions, or stress vulnerability, which may be linked to potential effects on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like outcomes. More follow-up studies investigating the effect of early supplementation in later childhood and in different age groups are called for to help determine whether the effects are transient or, in fact, result in real programming effects on brain function later in life.