Electrophysiological assessment of brain function in severe malnutrition - abstract

ABSTRACT

Brain function in severly malnourished children was assessed, using computer analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to photic driving at different frequencies during slow-wave sleep. Percentage power in the classical EEG broad-band domains was derived from temporo-occipital records. Ten malnourished infants (5 - 23 months), age and sex-matched with 10 healthy controls (CON), having no neurological involvement or previous malnutrition, were studied. The malnourished group was tested on admission (ADM) and on discharge (DIS) from hospital. A stronger mean peak response to photic driving for the narrow band spectra was observed for the malnourished group, but this difference did not attain a level of statistical significance. This observation indicates a reduced efficacy of inhibitory processes in the malnourished brain, a condition also observed in the brain of malnourished animals. Significant differences were, however, found in the alpha-1 band for the undriven EEG, and in the summed alpha/beta-1 power ratio while driving at 8 Hz, between the malnourished and control groups. ADM and DIS groups did not differ significantly in the trend towards reduction from ADM to DIS to CON. These findings indicate that, in malnutrition (1) EEG measures can index the deviation of brain function from normality, and (2) physical properties relating to brain function remain abnormal despite anthropometric catch-up (AU)