Recent advances in infant cognition: Implications for long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation studies

Abstract

The assessment of cognitive function in early life has recently become an issue for consideration in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) supplementation studies. This article reviews the various means by which such assessment has been done in past LC-PUFA supplementation studies and provides some background on recent advances in the measurement of infant cognition that may need to be considered when planning or designing future supplementation studies. These include (i) consideration of the specificity of LC-PUFA effects on cognition, (ii) inclusion of multiple tasks or levels of measurement as outcome measures, and (iii) a stronger emphasis on developmental processes in the design of such studies.

Growth and visual information processing in infants in Southern Ethiopia

“…While it may be difficult to link specific behaviors during infancy directly with long-term consequences, those behaviors may change the way the child interacts with the environment and thus affect the child's development (Colombo, 2001a;Institute of Medicine, 2004). For example, improvements in motor development are commonly seen in nutritional supplementation studies (Grantham-McGregor & Ani, 1999;Institute of Medicine, 2004).…”

“…However, locomotor experience in infancy is associated with changes in perception, cognition and social-emotional development (see review by Campos at al., 2000). The decreased information processing abilities observed in the infants with poorer growth can be expected to impact a variety of other developmental processes, and imply that small disadvantages in early development may impact higher-order function during a later developmental stage (Colombo, 2001a). However, it must be noted that various VIP measures have been designed to explore processes underlying basic cognitive development.…”

“…However, it must be noted that various VIP measures have been designed to explore processes underlying basic cognitive development. Thus, the laboratory tests we based our design upon are not standardized in administration, leading to possible difficulties in interpretation across studies (Colombo, 2001a). Finally, although maternal education influences both choice of diet and infant stimulation (Wachs et al, 1993;Walker, Chang, Powell, & Grantham-McGregor, 2005), we did not control for this factor.…”

“…There has been an increasing call for assessments that evaluate specific cognitive processes which may be more sensitive to environmental variation (e.g., nutrients), better predict later intellectual status (M.M. Black, 2003;Colombo, 2001a;Grantham-McGregor, & Ani, 1999;Hubbs-Tait, Nation, Krebs, & Bellinger, 2005) and can be compared across cultures. The results of the present investigation support the use of VIP measures as one such assessment tool.…”

Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Breast-Milk and Erythrocytes and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Danish Late-Preterm Infants

“…BSID-III is a global developmental test, designed to contrast developmental delay and normal psychomotor development. It is considered the golden standard for developmental testing of infants and is widely used in studies of LC-PUFA influences on early childhood development, but some researchers have pointed out that it may not be ideal for detecting minor variations within normality [47,[50][51][52][53][54].…”