Nutrition and Development
What do we know about the relationship between nutrition and early cognitive development?
Developmental scientists have long been concerned about the mechanisms of brain development. Researchers have investigated the roles of external experience such as enrichment or the “Mozart effect,” or maturational processes such as genetic determinants of structural brain development. Studies have revealed nutrition is important in brain development; severe undernutrition in protein, iron, and iodine can have long-ranging implications for cognitive and brain development, and efforts to supplement such nutrients can have a significant impact on outcomes (Freeman et al., 1980; Lozoff et al., 2006). Moreover, specific nutrients at particular times in development are critical. For example, essential fatty acids are necessary early in brain development (Innis, 2007), and iron deficiency influences development of the rat hippocampus (e.g., Jorgenson et al.,2005).
Recently, inroads have been made into understanding the connection between the gut and the brain in general, with increasing attention on the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Research has revealed that bacterial colonization of the intestine plays an important and direct role in neurological functioning, and has been implicated in psychiatric disorders from anxiety to autism (de Theije et al., 2014; Foster et al., 2013; Song et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2011). However, little research has focused on the role of this axis on human brain development. We have begun to address this gap through a collaborative effort between Lisa Oakes of Psychology and a team of nutritional biochemists, lead by Bruce German and Jennifer Smilowitz of the Foods for Health Institute.
This issue has potentially far reaching scientific and societal implications. Addressing this issue may add to our understanding of the mechanisms of brain development. Microbes play a key role in metabolizing nutrients and absorption of dietary fat (Borre et al., 2014; Douglas-Escobar et al., 2013); therefore previous findings of the effects of undernutrition or relative amounts of nutrients such as essential fatty acids may reflect, at least in part, influences of the microbiota. In addition understanding relations between gut microbiota and typical cognitive development in human infants may aid in our interpretation of findings with atypically developing populations. Work linking disorders to atypical microbiota—for example, findings that a high proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have atypical microbiota (Song et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2011)—are difficult to interpret because of high use of antibiotics and altered diets in such populations.
Developmental scientists have long been concerned about the mechanisms of brain development. Researchers have investigated the roles of external experience such as enrichment or the “Mozart effect,” or maturational processes such as genetic determinants of structural brain development. Studies have revealed nutrition is important in brain development; severe undernutrition in protein, iron, and iodine can have long-ranging implications for cognitive and brain development, and efforts to supplement such nutrients can have a significant impact on outcomes (Freeman et al., 1980; Lozoff et al., 2006). Moreover, specific nutrients at particular times in development are critical. For example, essential fatty acids are necessary early in brain development (Innis, 2007), and iron deficiency influences development of the rat hippocampus (e.g., Jorgenson et al.,2005).
Recently, inroads have been made into understanding the connection between the gut and the brain in general, with increasing attention on the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Research has revealed that bacterial colonization of the intestine plays an important and direct role in neurological functioning, and has been implicated in psychiatric disorders from anxiety to autism (de Theije et al., 2014; Foster et al., 2013; Song et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2011). However, little research has focused on the role of this axis on human brain development. We have begun to address this gap through a collaborative effort between Lisa Oakes of Psychology and a team of nutritional biochemists, lead by Bruce German and Jennifer Smilowitz of the Foods for Health Institute.
This issue has potentially far reaching scientific and societal implications. Addressing this issue may add to our understanding of the mechanisms of brain development. Microbes play a key role in metabolizing nutrients and absorption of dietary fat (Borre et al., 2014; Douglas-Escobar et al., 2013); therefore previous findings of the effects of undernutrition or relative amounts of nutrients such as essential fatty acids may reflect, at least in part, influences of the microbiota. In addition understanding relations between gut microbiota and typical cognitive development in human infants may aid in our interpretation of findings with atypically developing populations. Work linking disorders to atypical microbiota—for example, findings that a high proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have atypical microbiota (Song et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2011)—are difficult to interpret because of high use of antibiotics and altered diets in such populations.
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In addition to these scientific implications, understanding how the microbiota-gut-brain axis contributes to brain development has broad societal implications. Findings that gut microbiota influences cognitive development may inform interventions in at-risk populations. Just as the work on the role of essential fatty acids contributed to changes in the ingredients in infant formula, a deep understanding of other connections between gut and brain may lead to other recommendations and practices regarding infant feeding. Findings from such work may also provide further insight into the potential effects of medical practices, such as elective C-section and prescription antibiotics, that have been shown to alter the infants’ microbiota.
Currently, our work is focused specifically, we are interested in how nutrition might affect infants' development of visual attention and memory. We use our visual attentional processes as we scan a cluttered environment to find our keys in the junk drawer or to find Waldo in colorful scenes. We remember “snapshots” of our visual environment, which help us view the visual world as continuous and stable as we make eye-movements and blink. Our visual recognition of the faces and objects in our environment help us interact appropriately with those faces and objects. These visual activities feel automatic and easy, but effectively visually scanning scenes and remembering relevant information requires effortful control of attention in the face of distraction, as well as the ability to direct attention to relevant features and inhibit attention to objects and parts of the world that are not relevant to the task. Such abilities develop considerably over the course of the first year of life. And, we know that nutrition plays a critical role in visual development. Thus, this project will begin to answer how these critical visual abilities are influenced by nutritional factors.
Currently, our work is focused specifically, we are interested in how nutrition might affect infants' development of visual attention and memory. We use our visual attentional processes as we scan a cluttered environment to find our keys in the junk drawer or to find Waldo in colorful scenes. We remember “snapshots” of our visual environment, which help us view the visual world as continuous and stable as we make eye-movements and blink. Our visual recognition of the faces and objects in our environment help us interact appropriately with those faces and objects. These visual activities feel automatic and easy, but effectively visually scanning scenes and remembering relevant information requires effortful control of attention in the face of distraction, as well as the ability to direct attention to relevant features and inhibit attention to objects and parts of the world that are not relevant to the task. Such abilities develop considerably over the course of the first year of life. And, we know that nutrition plays a critical role in visual development. Thus, this project will begin to answer how these critical visual abilities are influenced by nutritional factors.
