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[Behavioral development and nerve conduction velocity during recovery from malnutrition]
L Vega-Franco1, E Margarita Aguilar, C Meza Camacho
1Departamento de Epidemiología y Comunidad, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, D.F.
Insights
Malnourished children showed improved nerve conduction speed and indole excretion within ten days of treatment. However, psychomotor development remained below normal, indicating a disconnect between these physiological improvements and overall developmental recovery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Nutritional Neuroscience
Context:
- Severe malnutrition significantly impacts neurodevelopment in infants and young children.
- Early nutritional intervention is crucial for recovery, but its effects on neurological function require detailed investigation.
Purpose:
- To investigate the relationship between psychomotor development improvements and changes in nerve conduction velocity and hydroxy-indole acetic acid (indole) excretion during malnutrition treatment.
- To understand the impact of malnutrition on neurological and mental development.
Summary:
- This prospective study followed nine severely undernourished children (3-15 months) for one month.
- Neurological development, nerve conduction speed, and indole excretion were assessed bi-weekly.
- While nerve conduction and indole excretion normalized within 10 days, psychomotor development (Gesell technique) remained significantly impaired (63.9 +/- 21.0).
Impact:
- Findings suggest that while physiological markers like nerve conduction velocity and serotonin precursor excretion (indole) can normalize rapidly with nutritional treatment, they do not directly correlate with concurrent improvements in psychomotor development.
- This highlights the complex and potentially long-lasting effects of severe malnutrition on cognitive and motor functions, necessitating further research into targeted interventions.
Objectives:
To research if the improvement in psychomotor development observed during the treatment of malnutrition, is related to favorable changes in the speed of nerve conduction and in the excretion of hydroxy-indole acetic acid (indole). DESIGNED OF THE STUDY: Prospective, of a descriptive type, includes the follow-up of children during the first month of treatment.
Application:
To better know the impact which malnutrition has on mental development.
Patients:
Nine children, ranging from three to 15 months of age, gravely undernourished.
Intervention:
The neurological development, the speed of nerve conduction and the excretion of indole were evaluated at 10 day intervals.
Measurements And Results:
Using the Gesell technique in order to evaluate the development, the measurement of conduction through the medial and external popliteal sciatic nerves and indole excreted in 24 hours, a quantitative increase of all of these variables was seen in 24 hours. At the beginning the conduction speed was slow (less than 30 m/s) and the excretion of indole was very low (0.28 mg/24 h). After the tenth day these measurements returned to normal, although the development coefficient was found to still below at the end of the study (63.9 +/- 21.0).
Conclusions:
Simultaneous to the neurological deficit, there is a reduced speed of conduction, which returns to normal after the tenth day without a positive correlation with motor functions and development. Neither does the disponibility of serotonin (judged by the excretion of indole) correlate with the speed of conduction.
