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Published on: October 24, 2019
Abnormal flash visual evoked potentials in malnourished infants: an evaluation using principal component analysis
Craig G McDonald1, Cora L Joffe, Ann B Barnet
1Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA. cmcdona3@gmu.edu
Insights
Severe infant malnutrition (marasmus) alters flash visual evoked potentials (fVEPs), indicating neurophysiological deficits. While some recovery occurred with nutritional remediation, abnormalities persisted, suggesting long-term impacts on visual processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Severe chronic malnutrition, such as marasmus, significantly impacts infant development.
- Neurophysiological functioning, particularly visual processing, may be affected by early-life malnutrition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the morphology of flash visual evoked potentials (fVEPs) in infants with severe malnutrition.
- To assess the impact of nutritional remediation on fVEP morphology.
Main Methods:
- Applied covariance-based principal component analysis with Promax factor rotation to fVEPs.
- Compared fVEPs from malnourished infants to age-matched controls.
Main Results:
- Marasmic infants showed diminished components in the late positive complex and the N3 component of fVEPs.
- Following nutritional remediation, these specific components normalized.
- An abnormally large late, positive deflection remained evident in fVEPs at discharge.
Conclusions:
- Infant malnutrition significantly alters fVEP morphology compared to controls.
- Nutritional rehabilitation led to partial recovery, but persistent abnormalities suggest incomplete resolution of physiological deficits.
- Early malnutrition may lead to lasting alterations in higher-order visual cortical processing.
Objective:
To characterize the morphology of flash visual evoked potentials (fVEPs) obtained from infants hospitalized with severe, chronic malnutrition (marasmus).
Methods:
A covariance-based principal component analysis with Promax factor rotation was applied to fVEPs obtained from malnourished infants and age-matched control subjects.
Results:
The analysis suggests the presence of a late positive complex in the fVEP, with at least one of its components being significantly diminished in marasmic infants. The N3 component was also diminished in marasmic infants. Following remediation, the marasmic group no longer differed with respect to these components. However, an abnormally large late, positive deflection was evident at discharge.
Conclusions:
The fVEP morphology of infants hospitalized with severe malnutrition was found to be significantly different from age-matched controls. Moreover, although there was evidence of recovery following remediation, fVEPs continued to show abnormality at discharge, suggesting the possibility that nutritional rehabilitation did not fully eliminate the physiological deficit.
Significance:
Malnourishment during early infancy results in altered neurophysiological functioning, possibly in cortical areas responsible for higher order visual processing.
