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Beckner AG, Arnold CD, Bragg MG, Caswell BL, Chen Z, Cox K, DeBolt MC, George M, Maleta K, Stewart C, Oakes LM, Prado E. Examining infants' visual paired comparison performance in the US and rural Malawi. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13439. [PMID: 37653622 PMCID: PMC10986336 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Measures of attention and memory were evaluated in 6- to 9-month-old infants from two diverse contexts. One sample consisted of African infants residing in rural Malawi (N = 228, 118 girls, 110 boys). The other sample consisted of racially diverse infants residing in suburban California (N = 48, 24 girls, 24 boys). Infants were tested in an eye-tracking version of the visual paired comparison procedure and were shown racially familiar faces. The eye tracking data were parsed into individual looks, revealing that both groups of infants showed significant memory performance. However, how a look was operationally defined impacted some-but not other-measures of infant VPC performance. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: In both the US and Malawi, 6- to 9-month-old infants showed evidence of memory for faces they had previously viewed during a familiarization period. Infant age was associated with peak look duration and memory performance in both contexts. Different operational definitions of a look yielded consistent findings for peak look duration and novelty preference scores-but not shift rate. Operationalization of look-defined measures is an important consideration for studies of infants in different cultural contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron G. Beckner
- College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Charles D. Arnold
- Department of Nutrition and Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Megan G. Bragg
- Department of Nutrition and Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Bess L. Caswell
- Department of Nutrition and Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Zhijun Chen
- Department of Psychology and Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Katherine Cox
- Department of Nutrition and Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Michaela C. DeBolt
- Department of Psychology and Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Matthews George
- School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Kenneth Maleta
- School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Christine Stewart
- Department of Nutrition and Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Lisa M. Oakes
- Department of Psychology and Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth Prado
- Department of Nutrition and Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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Gebreegziabher T, Woltamo T, Thomas DG, Kennedy TS, Stoecker BJ. Iodine supplementation of lactating women and assessment of infant visual information processing and maternal and infant thyroid function: A randomized trial. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223348. [PMID: 31589645 PMCID: PMC6779247 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Iodine deficiency is one of the major causes of brain damage in childhood. However, iodine supplementation during early pregnancy and lactation can prevent the ill effects of iodine deficiency. This study evaluated maternal and infant thyroid function and infant visual information processing (VIP) in the context of maternal iodine supplementation. A community-based, randomized, supplementation trial was conducted. Mother infant dyads (n = 106) were enrolled within the first 10 days after delivery to participate in this study. Mothers were randomly assigned either to receive a potassium iodide capsule (225 μg iodine) daily for 26 weeks or iodized salt weekly for 26 weeks. Maternal thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin (Tg), urinary iodine concentration (UIC), breast milk iodine concentration (BMIC) and infant T4, TSH, UIC and VIP were measured as outcome variables. At baseline, neither mothers nor infants in the two groups were significantly different in any of the biomarkers or anthropometric measurements. Maternal TSH and goiter prevalence significantly decreased following iodine supplementation. The percentage of infants who preferentially remembered the familiar face was 26% in the capsule and 51% in the I-salt groups. Infant sex, length for age Z score, BMIC, maternal education and household food security were strong predictors of novelty quotient. In conclusion supplementation daily for six months with an iodine capsule or the use of appropriately iodized salt for an equivalent time was sufficient to reduce goiter and TSH in lactating women. Higher BMIC and LAZ as well as better household food security, maternal education, and male sex predicted higher novelty quotient scores in the VIP paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tafere Gebreegziabher
- Department of Health Sciences, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA, United States of America
| | - Tesfaye Woltamo
- School of Environment, Gender, and Development Studies, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | - David G. Thomas
- Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States of America
| | - Tay S. Kennedy
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States of America
| | - Barbara J. Stoecker
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States of America
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Thomas DG, Kennedy TS, Colaizzi J, Aubuchon-Endsley N, Grant S, Stoecker B, Duell E. Multiple Biomarkers of Maternal Iron Predict Infant Cognitive Outcomes. Dev Neuropsychol 2017; 42:146-159. [PMID: 28467106 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2017.1306530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
This study examined relations between multiple measures of maternal iron status assessed 3 months post-partum, and infant processing speed (longest look during visual habituation), memory (novelty preference), attention (heart rate changes), and neural response variability (in auditory event-related potentials) at 3 and 9 months. Plasma iron was associated with 9-month novelty preference and longest look, and developmental changes in longest look. Hemoglobin predicted sustained attention, and both plasma iron and soluble transferrin receptors predicted neural response variability at 9 months. Improved maternal iron appears to have a positive impact on infant cognitive development even in a well-nourished, low-risk sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Thomas
- a Department of Psychology , Oklahoma State University , Stillwater , Oklahoma
| | - Tay S Kennedy
- b Department of Nutritional Sciences , Oklahoma State University , Stillwater , Oklahoma
| | - Janna Colaizzi
- a Department of Psychology , Oklahoma State University , Stillwater , Oklahoma
| | | | - Stephanie Grant
- d Department of Psychology , Hope College , Holland , Michigan
| | - Barbara Stoecker
- b Department of Nutritional Sciences , Oklahoma State University , Stillwater , Oklahoma
| | - Elisa Duell
- e Laureate Institute for Brain Research , Tulsa , Oklahoma
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Vohr BR, Poggi Davis E, Wanke CA, Krebs NF. Neurodevelopment: The Impact of Nutrition and Inflammation During Preconception and Pregnancy in Low-Resource Settings. Pediatrics 2017; 139:S38-S49. [PMID: 28562247 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-2828f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid pace of fetal development by far exceeds any other stage of the life span, and thus, environmental influences can profoundly alter the developmental course. Stress during the prenatal period, including malnutrition and inflammation, impact maternal and fetal neurodevelopment with long-term consequences for physical and mental health of both the mother and her child. One primary consequence of maternal malnutrition, inflammation, and other sources of prenatal stress is a poor birth outcome, such as prematurity or growth restriction. These phenotypes are often used as indications of prenatal adversity. In fact, the original evidence supporting the fetal programming hypothesis came from studies documenting an association between birth phenotype and the development of subsequent physical and mental health problems. Fetal growth restriction in both term and preterm infants is associated with neonatal morbidities and a wide variety of behavioral and psychological diagnoses in childhood and adolescence, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, internalizing and thought problems, poor social skills, and autism spectrum disorder. Improving maternal-child health requires interventions that begin before pregnancy and continue throughout gestation and into the postpartum period. Such interventions might include supporting pregnancy intention, maternal nutrition, health/medical care, mental health, and providing social support. This article discusses the impact of maternal nutrition and inflammation during preconception and pregnancy among women living in low-resource settings, with an emphasis on key knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to guide program and policy decisions at local, regional and global levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betty R Vohr
- Neonatal Follow-up Program, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island; .,Department of Pediatrics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Christine A Wanke
- Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts; and
| | - Nancy F Krebs
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
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Aubuchon-Endsley NL, Grant SL, Berhanu G, Thomas DG, Schrader SE, Eldridge D, Kennedy T, Hambidge M. Hemoglobin, growth, and attention of infants in southern Ethiopia. Child Dev 2011; 82:1238-51. [PMID: 21545582 PMCID: PMC3134588 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01596.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Male and female infants from rural Ethiopia were tested to investigate relations among hemoglobin (Hb), anthropometry, and attention. A longitudinal design was used to examine differences in attention performance from 6 (M = 24.9 weeks, n = 89) to 9 months of age (M = 40.6 weeks, n = 85), differences hypothesized to be related to changes in iron status and growth delays. Stunting (length-for-age z scores < -2.0) and attention performance, t(30) = -2.42, p = .022, worsened over time. Growth and Hb predicted attention at 9 months, R(2) = .15, p < .05, but not at 6. The study contributes to the knowledge base concerning the relations among Hb, early growth, and attention.
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