Postnatal growth and mental development: evidence for a "sensitive period"

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatric Health
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Long-standing suspicion links impaired early somatic growth to later cognitive deficits.
• Prospective studies are needed to validate the growth-mental development hypothesis in infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between early postnatal growth faltering and subsequent mental and psychomotor abilities.
• To identify sensitive periods in early development where growth impacts cognitive function.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 1558 full-term singletons in South London.
• Recruitment of 47 infants with serious growth faltering in the first year.
• Assessment of mental and psychomotor abilities at 15 months, with measurement of confounding psychosocial variables.

Main Results:

• A statistical model explained up to 37% of the variance in cognitive and psychomotor outcomes at 15 months.
• Timing, duration, and severity of growth faltering were significant predictors.
• The early postnatal months emerged as a critical "sensitive period" for growth-mental development linkage.

Conclusions:

• Severe early postnatal growth faltering is a significant predictor of impaired mental and psychomotor development.
• Interventions targeting growth in the first few postnatal months may be crucial for optimizing cognitive outcomes.