PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Neurodevelopment”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,081 records · Page 60Linked to original sources

Loss of CO2 reactivity of cerebral blood flow is associated with severe brain damage in mechanically ventilated very low birth weight infants.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of pathophysiological factors associated with permanent and severe brain damage in preterm infants requiring intensive care is a major issue in neonatal neurology. The aim of this study was to investigate if an abnormal CO2 reactivity of cerebral blood flow in high risk very low birth weight infants is associated with severe brain injury demonstrated at autopsy or by neurodevelopment examination at 18 months. METHODS: The CO2 reactivity of cerebral blood flow (xenon-133) was measured in 18 mechanically ventilated, severely ill, very low birthweight infants (gestational age 26-32 weeks, birthweight: 630-1360 g) during the first 36 hours of life. Cerebral outcome was assessed on autopsy findings (n = 8) or at the age of 18 months using Bayley developmental scales (n = 10). RESULTS: Eight infants with normal development at 18 months (within mean +/- 2.5 SD of reference group) and two infants with normal cerebral autopsy findings had a median CO2 reactivity of 24.4%/kPa CO2 (interquartile range 14.7-41.2). Two infants with abnormal development (> 2.5 SD below mean) and six infants with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy at autopsy has a median CO2 reactivity of 3.4%/kPa CO2 (interquartile range 8.0-11.7). CONCLUSION: In mechanically ventilated very low birthweight infants low CO2 reactivity of cerebral blood flow (below 10%/kPa CO2) during the first 36 hours of life was associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcome or hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy at autopsy. Loss of CO2 reactivity may play a role in the pathogenesis of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy. It is a candidate for predicting early severe brain damage in preterm infants requiring intensive care and for controlling the effect of early interventions.

Brain↗

Child abuse and neglect and the brain--a review.

Developmental psychology and the study of behaviour and emotion have tended to be considered in parallel to the study of neurobiological processes. This review explores the effects of child abuse and neglect on the brain, excluding nonaccidental injury that causes gross physical trauma to the brain. It commences with a background summary of the nature, context, and some deleterious effects of omission and commission within child maltreatment. There is no post-maltreatment syndrome, outcomes varying with many factors including nature, duration, and interpersonal context of the maltreatment as well as the nature of later intervention. There then follows a section on environmental influences on brain development, demonstrating the dependence of the orderly process of neurodevelopment on the child's environment. Ontogenesis, or the development of the self through self-determination, proceeds in the context of the nature-nurture interaction. As a prelude to reviewing the neurobiology of child abuse and neglect, the next section is concerned with bridging the mind and the brain. Here, neurobiological processes, including cellular, biochemical, and neurophysiological processes, are examined alongside their behavioural, cognitive, and emotional equivalents and vice versa. Child maltreatment is a potent source of stress and the stress response is therefore discussed in some detail. Evidence is outlined for the buffering effects of a secure attachment on the stress response. The section dealing with actual effects on the brain of child abuse and neglect discusses manifestations of the stress response including dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and parasympathetic and catecholamine responses. Recent evidence about reduction in brain volume following child abuse and neglect is also outlined. Some biochemical, functional, and structural changes in the brain that are not reflections of the stress response are observed following child maltreatment. The mechanisms bringing about these changes are less clearly understood and may well be related to early and more chronic abuse and neglect affecting the process of brain development. The behavioural and emotional concomitants of their neurobiological manifestations are discussed. The importance of early intervention and attention to the chronicity of environmental adversity may indicate the need for permanent alternative caregivers, in order to preserve the development of the most vulnerable children.

Arousal↗

High cognitive outcome in an adolescent with mut- methylmalonic acidemia.

Methylmalonic acidemia is an inborn error of metabolism known to be a cause of ketoacidosis and mental retardation. The less severe mut(-) form of the disorder, however, has been described with only mild to moderate cognitive deficits or, rarely, with normal neurodevelopment in asymptomatic cases. Nevertheless, there has been no detailed documentation of long-term neuropsychological function in the mut(-) form and relatively few IQ scores. We performed longitudinal developmental and neuropsychological assessments on a girl with symptomatic mut(-) methylmalonic acidemia whose biochemical abnormalities were in the moderately severe range and who had had recurrent episodes of ketoacidosis. At almost 12 years of age, her full scale IQ on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, third edition, was 129 with very superior and superior scores on nonverbal and verbal skills, respectively. On the National Achievement Test she scored above the 99th percentile in the Basic Battery and is considered to be a gifted student. This outcome suggests that the spectrum of cognitive attainment in mut(-) methylmalonic acidemia is wide and that even a moderate degree of biochemical severity with ketoacidotic episodes may not result in cognitive deficit. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:192-195, 2000.

Adolescent↗

Evolution of epilepsy surgery in childhood: the neurologist's point of view.

Surgical treatment of epilepsy in children has been slow to develop because of uncertainties regarding the prognosis of early epilepsies, difficulties in the diagnosis of causal lesions, the frequency of severe, extensive brain damage, and technical problems. Surgery for epilepsy in infants and children raises problems quite different from those in adults. This applies especially to severe infantile epilepsies for which the aim of treatment may be more to facilitate neurodevelopment than to control the seizures. In addition, intractability cannot be defined in the same terms at different ages, the time scale being usually much shorter in young children and the operations required often extensive. The results of surgery in childhood are comparable to those in adults. However, indications for surgery and assessment of its results in catastrophic epilepsies of infants requires different rules to those that apply to adults and older children.

Adolescent↗

Neurologic Manifestations of AIDS in Children and Adolescents: A Review of Cases in Santos, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To review the neurologic manifestations of AIDS in all children and adolescents who were seen by specialist doctors at 2 centers in Santos, Brazil, over the past 7 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Files of all patients aged 17 and under who were infected by HIV and admitted to 2 specialized AIDS centers between 1990 and 1997 were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 239 children and adolescents admitted to AIDS centers, 20 presented with a variety of neurologic complications, including focal motor signs, altered tonus, retarded neurodevelopment, cognitive disturbances, intractable headache, seizures, and coma. Opportunistic infections were the exception, an important difference from the adult population of the same area. CONCLUSION: Neurologic complications of AIDS in children and adolescents in the city of Santos, Brazil, were relatively unusual, found in less than 10% of this population. The neurologic involvement did not increase the mortality of these children and adolescents. These finding may be attributable to the quality of diagnoses, treatment, and follow-up of children infected with HIV by specialized professionals in adequate institutions.

Journal Article↗

[Polychlorinated biphenyl(PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs)].

Dioxins include polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins(PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans(PCDFs), and part of polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs). Only the compounds that are chlorinated at the 2,3,7, and 8 positions have characteristic dioxin toxicity. PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs accumulate in the food chain due to their high lipophilicity, high stability, and low vapor pressure. They are not metabolized easily, however their hydroxylate are detected in feces. PCBs and dioxins cause a wide range of endocrine disrupting effects in experimental animals, wildlife, and humans. Endocrine related effects of PCBs and dioxins on thyroid hormones, neurodevelopment and reproductive development are summarized. In addition, some studies of exposure and endocrine-related effects in human populations are presented.

Animals↗

[Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the early development of the human nervous system].

The role of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) in the early development of the human nervous system was put forward by the better cognitive development observed in breast-fed than in formula fed infants in parallel with the presence of LCPUFA in human milk but not in formula. The role of LCPUFA in early human neurodevelopment can be investigated by comparing data obtained in formula fed infants randomly assigned to receive formula with or without LCPUFA. Investigations in preterm infants indicate that the presence of LCPUFA in the formula offers benefits for the early postnatal development of visual and cognitive functions. The unequivocal results obtained in preterm infants led to the recommendation of LCPUFA supplementation to formulae for preterm infants. In several studies in full-term infants, enhanced dietary intake of LCPUFA was accompanied with better visual acuity and better results in various cognitive tests. However, other studies did not show visual or cognitive differences between full-term infants fed formula with or without LCPUFA. It is a question under current debate whether supplementation of LCPUFA to formulae for full-term infants is required to lessen the difference between the intellectual development of breast-fed and formula fed infants.

Breast Feeding↗

Prenatal exposure to alcohol.

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects, of which fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most devastating. Recognizable by characteristic craniofacial abnormalities and growth deficiency, this condition includes severe alcohol-induced damage to the developing brain. FAS children experience deficits in intellectual functioning; difficulties in learning, memory, problem-solving, and attention; and difficulties with mental health and social interactions. An FAS diagnosis, however, fails to identify prenatal-alcohol-exposed children who lack the characteristic facial defects and growth deficiency of FAS. Nonetheless, these often undiagnosed children may still experience serious fetal alcohol effects (FAE), including alcohol-induced mental impairments (i.e., alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorder) or alcohol-related abnormalities of the skeleton and certain organ systems (i.e., alcohol-related birth defects). Neuroimaging techniques can assist researchers in identifying FAE through precise pictures of brain abnormalities in persons prenatally exposed to alcohol. By understanding the mechanisms underlying FAE and the behavioral manifestations of the resulting structural brain damage, researchers can ultimately develop effective FAS prevention strategies that identify and assist high-risk women at varying levels of pregnancy.

Alcoholism↗

Corpus callosum agenesis.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives are to analyse corpus callosum agenesis in children with various neurological problems in a hospital set-up, and to study the neurological and systemic abnormalities associated with this condition. METHODS: The children with various neurological problems who underwent computerized tomography brain from January 1993 to December 1997, and were found to have corpus callosum agenesis, formed the subjects of this study. These children were examined for any syndromic association, congenital infections or metabolic defects. RESULTS: Out of 2164 children who underwent computerized tomography brain, 22 had corpus callosum agenesis (1%). Most cases were not syndromic and 64% were males. Epileptic disorders were noted in about one third of cases. CONCLUSION: Corpus callosum agenesis is an important anomaly in children with neurodevelopment handicaps, usually detected by neuroradiology.

Agenesis of Corpus Callosum↗

Patterns of cognitive-motor development in children with fetal alcohol syndrome from a community in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Even though fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) has been reported in nonwestern nations, there is a paucity of information on neurodevelopment in the affected children from those nations. This article reports on a study of cognitive-motor development in a group of children with FAS from a community in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. METHODS: Thirty-four children with FAS and 34 controls from grade 1 (school entry level) classes participated. The two groups comprised Afrikaans-speaking children of mixed ancestry (South African Colored) and were matched for age, sex, and family income. The Griffiths Mental Development Scales were used to assess cognitive motor development of the participants. RESULTS: A multivariate analysis of covariance was performed to test the group effect on the combined Griffiths subscales adjusting for maternal education. The results showed a significant group effect. Follow-up analyses revealed that a combination of four subscales (Speech and Hearing, Performance, Practical Reasoning, and Eye and Hand Coordination) primarily contributed to the overall effect. Although there was a marginal effect on the Personal-Social subscale, no significant effect on the Locomotor (gross motor) subscale was found. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the FAS group was markedly deficient only in higher-order cognitive-motor competencies.

Child↗

[Cognitive deficit and schizophrenia].

INTRODUCTION: In the present paper, the results of a number of different studies that have tried to establish the characteristics of the cognitive deficit in schizophrenia are discussed. The principal objective of this study was to ascertain whether exist statistically significative differences in such deficit in schizophrenic patients in relation with their preponderant symptomathology (positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and disorganization) or their degree of defectual symptoms. METHODOLOGY: Sixty three schizophrenic patients under treatment in a Day Hospital were divided in groups using the dimensions of Liddie and the Scale for assessing the Deficit Syndrome in Schizophrenia. Cognitive deficit was assessed by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). RESULTS: Our results show that education and gender has no relation with the cognitive deficit exhibited, whereas there is a direct relation with age and years suffering the illness. Patients who exhibited preponderant disorganization symptoms and those describes as defectual syndrome schizophrenics showed more cognitive deficit in the WCST. The number of preservations in the WCST seems to be the main deficit. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of planning in suggested as a schizophrenic marker in the frame of theories that claim there is a failure in the neurodevelopment of these patients.

Adult↗

[French validation of a Minor Morphologic Anomalies Scale in schizophrenic patients and their parents].

UNLABELLED: Minor Physical Anomalies represent valuable indices of disturbance in early neurodevelopment. They are frequently observed in individuals with various brain disorders, including mental retardation, autism, epilepsy, hyperactivity, foetal alcohol syndrome and schizophrenia. The high prevalence of Minor Physical Anomalies in schizophrenia provides considerable support for a neurodevelopmental model in this disorder. However, studies in large sample using standardised scale are lacking. Such studies are needed in order to confirm their actual frequency and study the clinical correlates or morphological anomalies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to revise and validate a French version of a scale designed for the evaluation of Minor Physical Anomalies in adult psychiatric patients and notably in patients with schizophrenia. METHODOLOGY: The scale was revised from the Waldrop scale. The choice of items was done on the basis of frequency, reliability in the adult, reliability of rating. Some new items, related to know syndroms with comportmental symptoms were added. Both raters had previously had a short initiation to the rating of the scale. Interrater reliability between two examiners, blind with regards to the diagnosis was evaluated. RESULTS: The interrater reliability was good, with an intraclass correlation coefficient at 0.97. Patients had significantly more minor physical anomalies than comparison subjects, and also more Minor Physical Anomalies than their parents. Fathers and mothers of these schizophrenic patients had significantly more Minor Physical Anomalies than normal comparison subjects. CONCLUSION: Although the evaluation of physical anomalies relies on subjective appreciation of normal vs abnormal, the revised version of minor physical anomalies scale (French version) was found to be a reliable tool, provided that a short initiation to the rating is performed. The scale differentiated schizophrenic patients from their parents, and the latter from the normal controls. A lot of questions remains unanswered concerning the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia. This scale appeared as a useful complementary tool to help in the determination of the developmental phenotypic status of the patients enrolled in pathophysiological studies aiming the identification of developmental factors in schizophrenia.

Adult↗

[Focal cerebral ischemic or hemorrhagic lesions in the term newborn. Review of the last decade].

INTRODUCTION: Although focal cerebral ischemic or hemorrhagic lesions are infrequent in the term newborn, they must be considered when neurologic symptoms appear, especially when seizures are present. OBJECTIVE: Possible risk factors to suffer from these pathologies have been studied, as well as their evolution, to try to give a prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The term newborns with focal ischemic or hemorrhagic cerebral lesions who presented symptoms in the neonatal period have been studied for 10 years (January 1990-March 2000) in our Children s Hospital Miguel Servet of Zaragoza (Spain). The newborns have been studied in our hospital, and their evolution followed in the Neuropediatric Consulting Room. From each case data about familiar history, pregnancy, labor, clinical manifestations, physical examination, complementary studies, diagnosis and neurodevelopment evolution have been collected. RESULTS. From the nine cases found, four were infarctions of the left medial cerebral artery, and five were hemorrhages. Except in two cases in which an important birth trauma was present, any other antecedent that could be the cause was found. All except one manifested as seizures. Neuroimaging studies visualized the stroke in all of them. A slight motor deficit remains in seven children, and it is severe in one. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebrovascular strokes are infrequent in term newborns. Most of the times their etiology is not found. These accidents usually manifestate as focal seizures in the immediate neonatal period, and neuroimaging studies (ECO-TC) are essential for the diagnosis. The long term evolution is favorable in most of the cases, although focal motor deficit remains present frequently.

Brain↗

Estrogenic actions in the brain: estrogen, phytoestrogens, and rapid intracellular signaling mechanisms.

The endogenous gonadal steroid 17beta-estradiol (E2) plays an important role in the development, maturation, and function of a wide variety of reproductive and nonreproductive tissues, including those of the nervous system. The actions of E2 at target tissues can be divided into 1) long-term "genomic" actions that are mediated by intracellular estrogen receptor-induced changes in gene expression and 2) rapid actions that modulate a diverse array of intracellular signal transduction cascades. Environmental estrogens are compounds present in the environment that can mimic, and in some cases antagonize, the effects of endogenous estrogens. As a result of these actions, there is currently much interest within the scientific community regarding the relative benefits or threats associated with exposure to different environmental estrogens. Within the general public there is considerable acceptance of the benefits associated with increased use of "natural" estrogens as a component of a healthy diet and in postmenopausal women as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapies. First, this review will focus attention on the role of estrogens in the central nervous system by briefly discussing some of the known mechanisms through which estrogen's effects are mediated, focusing on rapid intracellular signaling mechanisms during neurodevelopment. Second, with the hope of bringing attention to an area of study that until recently has received little consideration, we will briefly discuss phytoestrogens and suggest that these compounds have the potential to influence rapid E2-induced mechanisms in the nervous system in ways that may result in modified brain functions.

Animals↗

[Routine ultrasonography in late pregnancy is not justified!].

UNLABELLED: This review should be cited as: Bricker L, Neilson JP. Routine ultrasound in late pregnancy (after 24 weeks gestation) (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2000. Oxford: Update Software. A substantive amendment to this systematic review was last made on 01 October 1999. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if necessary. BACKGROUND: Diagnostic ultrasound is used selectively in late pregnancy where there are specific clinical indications. However, the value of routine late pregnancy ultrasound screening in unselected populations is controversial. The rationale for such screening would be the detection of clinical conditions which place the fetus or mother at high risk, which would not necessarily have been detected by other means such as clinical examination, and for which subsequent management would improve perinatal outcome. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects on obstetric practice and pregnancy outcome of routine late pregnancy ultrasound, defined as greater than 24 weeks gestation, in women with either unselected or low risk pregnancies. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group Specialised Register of Controlled Trials and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched. SELECTION CRITERIA: All acceptably controlled trials of routine ultrasound in late pregnancy (defined as after 24 weeks). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The principal reviewer assessed trial quality and extracted data, under supervision of the co-reviewer. MAIN RESULTS: Seven trials recruiting 25,036 women were included. The quality of trials overall was satisfactory There was no difference in antenatal, obstetric and neonatal intervention or morbidity in screened versus control groups. Routine late pregnancy ultrasound was not associated with improvements in overall perinatal mortality. Placental grading as an adjunct to third trimester examination scan was associated with a significant reduction in the stillbirth rate in the one trial that assessed it. There is a lack of data with regard to long term substantive outcomes such as neurodevelopment. There is a lack of data on maternal psychological effects. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: Based on existing evidence, routine late pregnancy ultrasound in low risk or unselected populations does not confer benefit on mother or baby. There is a lack of data about the potential psychological effects of routine ultrasound in late pregnancy, and the effects on both short and long term neonatal and childhood outcome. Placental grading in the third trimester may be valuable, but whether reported results are reproducible remains to be seen, and future research of late pregnancy ultrasound should include evaluation of placental textural assessment.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗

Neuroimmunologic influences in neuropsychiatric and psychophysiologic disorders.

Top down central nervous system (CNS) influences on the immune system and bottom up immune system influences on the CNS take part in a complex feedforward and feedback loop which may be responsible for initiating events and perpetuating circumstances in the course of neuropsychiatric as well as immune system diseases. In this paper the authors examine the neuroendocrine-neuroimmune stress response system, the concept of autoimmunoregulation, and recent studies of immune and pharmacological dysregulation in neuropsychiatric and psychosomatic illnesses. The authors review the recent English language literature on these subjects. Support for the hypothesis that macrophages play an important role in neurodevelopment and in the pathophysiology of various neuropsychiatric conditions is found. The interplay between neurologic and immune systems may help to uncover the pathophysiologies of certain neuropsychiatric systems. This may provide new strategies for pharmacologic anti inflammatory treatments. The monocyte /macrophage, which crosses the blood brain barrier is an essential candidate cell in the study of psychoneuroimmunology.

Depression↗

Analysis of ten candidate genes in autism by association and linkage.

We studied the possible involvement of ten candidate genes in autism: proenkephalin, prodynorphin, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 2 (opioid metabolism); tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine receptors D2 and D5, monoamine oxidases A and B (monoaminergic system); brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and neural cell adhesion molecule (involved in neurodevelopment). Thirty-eight families with two affected siblings and one family with two affected half-siblings, recruited by the Paris Autism Research International Sibpair Study (PARIS), were tested using the transmission disequilibrium test and two-point affected sib-pair linkage analysis. We found no evidence for association or linkage with intragenic or linked markers. Our family sample has good power for detecting a linkage disequilibrium of 0.80. Thus, these genes are unlikely to play a major role in the families studied, but further studies in a much larger sample would be needed to highlight weaker genetic effects.

Alleles↗

Should the DOQI adequacy guidelines be used to standardize peritoneal dialysis in children?

The complete set of PD adequacy guidelines generated by NKF-DOQI is a valuable asset to the care of pediatric and adult patients receiving PD. Use of the recommendations generated by an evidence-based review of the literature (in addition to the expert opinion of the workgroup members who served as authors) has undoubtedly resulted in greater attention to detail in patient care and a more uniform approach to therapy. Whether the target clearances advocated for adults should serve as the standard for children is an issue where evidence is scant. Pertinent data needs to be generated by the pediatric nephrology community. Large pediatric study groups such as the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS), the Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Study Consortium (PPDSC), and the Mid-European Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Study Group (MEPPS) need to collect information on dialysis clearance and a host of outcome variables such as hospitalization rate, technique survival, nutrition status, statural growth, neurodevelopment, quality of life, and patient mortality. The same groups should also encourage the development of prospective studies designed to further improve the dialysis care of children. Finally, it should be evident to all clinicians and emphasized in the DOQI guidelines that PD adequacy in children is defined by more than just solute and fluid control. Only when anemia, nutrition, infection, growth, and quality of life are optimally managed in combination with effective dialysis can a clinician feel confident that the child on PD has been provided with needed and deserved care.

Adult↗