[Effect of breast feeding and psychosocial variables upon psychomotor development of 12-month-old infants]. / Efecto de la lactancia materna y variables psicosociales sobre el desarrollo psicomotor en niños de 12 meses de edad.

This study evaluates the participation of psychosocial variables in the relation between breast feeding (BF) and psychomotor development (PMD) in dyads with different BF duration. We assessed 138 mother-infant dyads, divided in two groups: 86 received BF as unique source of milk feeding for at least 6 months (prolonged BF group) and 52 were weaned before 45 days of age (early weaning group). General information about pregnancy, delivery and feeding was collected in a non experimental prospective design. At 6-7 months of age a milk feeding situation was observed at home, and mother-infant interactional patterns were recorded through a specially designed scale. At 12 months of age the PMD was assessed (Bayley Scales of Infant Development). Infant temperament, home stimulation, mother depression and family stress were also measured. Similar family characteristics were observed in both study groups. Early bonding and first feeding experiences were different, both reported as better in the prolonged BF group. Moreover, dyads of this group showed a higher variety and quality of mother-infant interactional patterns during feeding, with a higher synchrony and reciprocity in the relationship. Mean Mental Development Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) were similar in both groups. Explicatory variables for MDI and PDI are different in both study groups. Dyads who attained prolonged BF conform from a psychosocial perspective--a different group than the early weaned.

[Risk factors for psychomotor development among infants born under optimal biological conditions]. / Factores de riesgo para el desarrollo psicomotor en lactantes nacidos en óptimas condiciones biológicas.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of risk factors on infant development, among low socioeconomic children born under optimal biological conditions, and who are exposed to adverse social circumstances. METHOD: Infants of both sexes, in the amount of 788, were studied and controlled prospectively at between 6 and 12 months. Their mental (MDI) and psychomotor (PDI) development was evaluated using the Bayley Scale of Infant Development. Eighteen risk factors were identified and dichotomized (high or low risk). RESULTS: Breast feeding, child temperament, maternal intelligence and home stimulation are consistently associated with lower MDI and PDI. After adjustment for co-variables, home stimulation persisted as a significant factor for explaining the variation of both developmental indexes and child sex also appears as a risk factor for motor skills development. The accumulated effect of 7 or more risk factors is associated with a significant decrease of development scores. The combination of risk categories of child temperament, maternal IQ, paternal role and home stimulation shows higher prediction power for infant development than other combinations analyzed in this study. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest than even for children born under optimal biological conditions their psychomotor development is negatively affected by the presence of simultaneous adverse environmental conditions.

Psychomotor development and behavior in iron-deficient anemic infants.

Research has shown an association between iron deficiency anemia and adverse effects on behavior and psychomotor development in infants and children. The exact mechanisms behind these associations are not fully understood. Additional research is necessary.

Human milk and breast feeding for optimal mental development.

Human milk has been characterized as the optimal food for human growth and development because of its nutritional, antiinfective and biological properties. Research conducted over the past decades provides further evidence on the uniqueness of human milk feeding for optimal brain development. The recognition of specific functions for the long chain essential fatty acids present in human milk as key components of neural membranes necessary for optimal brain development has provided a biological basis for this phenomenon. In addition the act of breast feeding provides unique mother-infant interactions opportunities that may have important implications for infant growth and development. These findings may have special relevance to populations in developing countries because this provides yet other very strong reasons to favor human milk feeding.

[Intelligence evaluation with short forms of WAIS for populations of low socioeconomic status]. / Evaluación de la inteligencia a través de formas cortas del WAIS para poblaciones de nivel socioeconómico bajo.

A WAIS-S short form for the assessment of intelligence as a confounding variable is proposed. A number of 161 complete WAIS-S protocols, relating to women of lower-middle and low socioeconomic status were analysed. Six subtests (Social Comprehension, Similarities, Vocabulary, Block Design, Picture Completion and Object Assembly) were chosen using two criteria: specific functions evaluated by each subtest and correlation coefficients relating IQ to the subtests. Five WAIS-S short forms were evaluated: one consisting of six subtests and the others with different combinations of four of them. Data showed that they were all appropriate for the measurement of intelligence as a confounding variable; the correlation coefficients between short forms and total IQ ranged from 0.90 to 0.94. The standard errors of the short forms for the estimation of total IQ were of 3 or 4 points, and 3 to 7% of the subjects were wrongly classified. When maternal intelligence had to be measured in relation to infant development the short form that included Social Comprehension, Similarities, Block Design and Picture Completion seemed the most appropriate. Nevertheless when choosing a WAIS-S short form not only economy of time but also the specific relevant functions assessed in each subtest must be considered.

Breakfast omission and cognitive performance of normal, wasted and stunted schoolchildren.

This study focuses on the effects of breakfast omission on cognitive performance. We studied 279 children from low socioeconomic level background ranging in age from 8 years 7 months to 10 years 11 months, categorized nutritionally as: normal, wasted or stunted. Evaluation comprised three cognitive tasks designed to be applied with a microcomputer. Assessment took place in their natural setting, after a mean of 14 h of overnight fasting, some having received a standard breakfast at random while the remaining children continued a fasting situation. We found no consistent association between study condition and performance in short-term visual memory, problem solving and attention tasks in any of the three nutritional groups. Stunted children showed significantly lower scores in the attention test irrespective of having received breakfast or not. These results suggest that given a motivating short-term task and maintaining routine conditions, missing breakfast does not affect the accuracy of the cognitive performance of children. Nutritionally affected children did not show a particular vulnerability to the fasting condition, but did show a specific cognitive deficit.

[Early severe malnutrition and psychomotor development. Effects of a rehabilitation program]. / Desnutrición grave precoz y desarrollo psicomotor. Efectos de un programa de rehabilitación.

This study evaluates the psychomotor development of 228 undernourished infants submitted to an integral rehabilitation program in Nutritional Recovery Centers. At admission these children present a moderate retardation of their developmental quotient: mean 0.59 +/- 0.17, improving significantly to mean 0.79 +/- 0.4 (p < 0.001) after an average period of 178.2 +/- 63.9 days of intervention. As regards areas of development, rehabilitation only demonstrates a significant change in coordination and language, not so in the social and motor areas. Those children presenting the most severe developmental delays are also those who obtain the greater benefits from this integral rehabilitation program.

Iron deficiency anemia: adverse effects on infant psychomotor development.

In a double-blind, placebo-control prospective cohort study of 196 infants from birth to 15 months of age, assessment was made at 12 months of age of the relationship between iron status and psychomotor development, the effect of a short-term (10-day) trial of oral iron vs placebo, and the effect of long-term (3 months) oral iron therapy. Development was assessed with the mental and psychomotor indices and the infant behavior record of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development in 39 anemic, 30 control, and 127 nonanemic iron-deficient children. Anemic infants had significantly lower Mental and Psychomotor Developmental Index scores than control infants or nonanemic iron-deficient infants (one-way analysis of variance, P less than .0001). Control infants and nonanemic iron-deficient infants performed comparably. No difference was noted between the effect of oral administration of iron or placebo after 10 days or after 3 months of iron therapy. Among anemic infants a hemoglobin concentration less than 10.5 g/dL and duration of anemia of greater than 3 months were correlated with significantly lower motor and mental scores (P less than .05). Anemic infants failed specifically in language capabilities and body balance-coordination skills when compared with controls. These results, in a design in which intervening variables were closely controlled, suggest that when iron deficiency progresses to anemia, but not before, adverse influences in the performance of developmental tests appear and persist for at least 3 months despite correction of anemia with iron therapy. If these impairments prove to be long standing, prevention of iron deficiency anemia in early infancy becomes the only way to avoid them.

The effect of treatment on mental and psychomotor development of marasmic infants according to age of admission.

The mental and psychomotor development of severely malnourished infants were examined during nutritional and psychological treatment. There was a significant difference between younger and older infants in their response to the treatment. The older infants had a remarkable reduction of their psychomotor development at admission and showed a considerable recovery throughout treatment. The younger infants became more affected during hospitalisation. The bodyweight deficit had mostly recovered by the end of the treatment.

Psychomotor development during treatment of severely marasmic infants.

Previous studies of amlnourished infants have shown that their psychomotor development improves parallel to their nutritional rehabilitation. The present study showed that our patients recovered weight-for-age faster than height-for-age, becoming 42% obese at the end of the treatment. The psychomotor development was also significantly improved, but mainly in social, language and fine coordination areas. The gross motor behaviour did not show any improvement during 5 months of treatment. These results are interpreted in terms of the syndrome of dissociation of maturation.

Neuroticism, extraversion and slow brain potentials.

Peak amplitude and area under the curve of average vertex slow potentials recorded during the foreperiod of a reaction time task were found to discriminate between high- and low-neuroticism subjects, defined according to the Eysenck Personality Inventory. High-neuroticism subjects developed smaller peak amplitude, greater area and longer reaction times, presenting a high extinction rate when the imperative stimulus was omitted. Differences between extraverts and introverts were found within the low-neuroticism group and for area values, extraverts exhibiting larger area. A significant interaction effect of extraversion and neuroticism on slow-potential parameters was evidenced. Results are interpreted in terms of heightened arousal and disrupted focused attention in high-neuroticism subjects. Although evolutionary indexes of slow potentials could differentiate between extraverts and introverts, further work using inhibition indicators is needed to further clarify the differences between them. The data reported also suggest that different aspects of overt behavior would be associated diversely with slow-potential parameters.