Plasticidad cerebral y entrenamiento musical en niños. Una revisión sistemática.

Los primeros años son extraordinariamente importantes para todos los aspectos del desarrollo. Diferentes investigaciones dan cuenta de que el entrenamiento musical podría incidir sobre diferentes áreas del desarrollo del infante. El objetivo del siguiente trabajo es rastrear y analizar en la literatura las investigaciones que indican que el entrenamiento musical afectaría las habilidades cognitivas, la anatomía y la actividad cerebral en infantes. Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en bases de datos científicas indexadas (Scielo, Redalyc, ScienceDirect, Pubmed, WOS y Scopus), utilizando las palabras clave: music, music training, music education, child, cognition, brain, development. Se utilizaron como variables de análisis: el instrumento de evaluación empleado, el tipo de intervención empleada y el tiempo de entrenamiento. Los estudios revisados mostraron resultados contrapuestos acerca del efecto del entrenamiento musical en los infantes, aunque, mayoritariamente se ha encontrado que el entrenamiento musical promueve el desarrollo cognitivo e influye en otras áreas.

Macronutrient Intake in Pregnancy and Child Cognitive and Behavioural Outcomes

Prenatal nutrient exposures can impact on brain development and disease susceptibility across the lifespan. It is well established that maternal macronutrient intake during pregnancy influences foetal and infant development. Therefore, we hypothesise that macronutrient intakes during pregnancy are correlated with cognitive development during early childhood. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal macronutrient intake during pregnancy and child cognitive and behavioural outcomes at age 4 years. We analysed prospective data from a cohort of 64 Australian mother–child dyads. Maternal macronutrient intake was assessed using a validated 74-item food frequency questionnaire at 2 timepoints during pregnancy. Child cognition and behaviour were measured at age 4 years using the validated Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, 3rd version (WPPSI-III) and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBC). Linear regression models were used to quantify statistical relationships and were adjusted for maternal age, education, pre-pregnancy BMI, breastfeeding duration and birthweight. Child Performance IQ was inversely associated with maternal starch intake (b = −11.02, p = 0.03). However, no other associations were found. Further research is needed to explore the association between different types of starch consumed during pregnancy and child cognitive development.

TSH Mediated the Effect of Iodized Salt on Child Cognition in a Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives: This study examines the hormonal mediators of the effect of iodized salt in pregnancy on child cognition. Methods: Sixty districts across 6 zones in the Amhara region of Ethiopia were randomly allocated to a control or intervention arm of early market access to iodized salt. Twenty-two villages per arm were randomly selected for this sub-study. A total of 1220 pregnant women who conceived after the intervention began were enrolled and assessed for their iodine and iron status. Data were collected once on the household socio-demographic status and iodized salt use, and maternal urinary iodine during pregnancy. Then, infants’ diet, urinary iodine level, cognitive development (Bayley III), serum hormonal levels, iron status, and inflammation markers were measured between 2 and 13 months of age. Results: The median maternal urinary iodine concentration was adequate and significantly higher in the intervention mothers than that of the controls (163 vs 121 µg/L, P < .0001). Intervention children compared to the control children had lower thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) (mean: 2.4 ± 1.0 µIU/mL vs 2.7 ± 1.0 µIU/mL, effect size = 0.18, P < .01) and thyroglobulin (Tg) (41.6 ± 1.0 ng/mL vs 45.1 ± 1.0 ng/mL, effect size = 0.14, P < .05). There was an interaction between the intervention and iron stores such that cognition was higher with iron (effect size = 0.28, 100 vs 94 IQ points). TSH was a partial mediator (12%) of the effect of the intervention on child cognition (Sobel z-score = 2.1 ± 0.06, P < .05). Conclusion: TSH partially mediated the effect of the iodized salt intervention on child cognition.

Human Capital Development and Parental Investment in India

We estimate production functions for cognition and health for children aged 1–12 in India, based on the Young Lives Survey. India has over 70 million children aged 0–5 who are at risk of developmental deficits. The inputs into the production functions include parental background, prior child cognition and health, and child investments, which are taken as endogenous. Estimation is based on a nonlinear factor model, based on multiple measurements for both inputs and child outcomes. Our results show an important effect of early health on child cognitive development, which then becomes persistent. Parental investments affect cognitive development at all ages, but more so for younger children. Investments also have an impact on health at early ages only.

Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening II: Effect of Treating Maternal Suboptimal Thyroid Function on Child Behavior

Context & Objectives The Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening (CATS) study was the first randomized controlled trial to investigate effects of treating suboptimal gestational thyroid function (SGTF) on child cognition. Since observational studies indicated that SGTF may also increase symptoms of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the CATS cohort was used to investigate whether treatment of mothers affected their children’s behavior. Design & Participants Mothers (N = 475) completed 3 questionnaires: the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Child ADHD Questionnaire, and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ, used as a screen for autism spectrum disorder [ASD]), about their children (mean age 9.5 years). Group comparisons of total scores, numbers of children above clinical thresholds, and association between high maternal free thyroxine (FT4) (&gt; 97.5th percentile of the UK cohort, “overtreated”) and child neurodevelopment were reported. Results There were no differences in total scores between normal gestational thyroid function (GTF) (n = 246), treated (n = 125), and untreated (n = 104) SGTF groups. More children of treated mothers scored above clinical thresholds, particularly the overtreated. Scores were above thresholds in SDQ conduct (22% vs 7%), SCQ total scores (7% vs 1%), and ADHD hyperactivity (17% vs 5%) when comparing overtreated (n = 40) and untreated (N = 100), respectively. We identified significantly higher mean scores for SDQ conduct (adjusted mean difference [AMD] 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.021-1.431; P = 0.040, effect size 0.018) and ADHD hyperactivity (AMD 1.60, 95% CI, 0.361-2.633; P = 0.003, effect size 0.028) comparing overtreated with normal-GTF children. Conclusions There was no overall association between SGTF and offspring ADHD, ASD, or behavior questionnaire scores. However, children of “overtreated” mothers displayed significantly more ADHD symptoms and behavioral difficulties than those of normal-GTF mothers. Thyroxine supplementation during pregnancy requires monitoring to avoid overtreatment.

Using a Developmental Test and Electroencephalography to Examine Child Cognition and Its Predictors in Bangladesh (P13-024-19)

Objectives The majority of global health studies use behavioural assessments to measure early child development. Few studies have examined neural indices of cognition using electroencephalography (EEG) in low-income settings. Using data from the Benefits and Risks of Iron Supplementation in Children (BRISC) trial, we examined cognitive development and neural indices of memory and attention in 11 month-old Bangladeshi children and their environmental, socio-demographic, and biological predictors. Methods At 8 months of age, 3300 children were randomized to iron syrup, multiple micronutrient supplementation, or placebo for 3 months. The main trial outcomes include child development measured using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID)-III, anthropometry, haemoglobin, morbidity, and iron indices. EEG is being conducted to measure event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in a random subset of 250 children at 11 months of age. ERPs are measured in response to auditory and visual stimuli, using roving oddball and attention orienting tasks. Generalized linear mixed models estimated the predictors of BSID-derived cognitive development and EEG-derived neural indices of memory and attention. Potential predictors include psychosocial stimulation, anthropometry, haemoglobin, socio-economic status, food security, sex, and parental education. Additionally, we examined correlations between the BSID cognitive scores and EEG-derived neural indices of cognition. Results Preliminary BSID data up to December 2018 indicates that 1749 children have completed measurements at 11 months of age. Psychosocial stimulation was significantly associated with BSID cognitive development scores. ERPs in children at 11 months of age are expected to be completed by May 2019 and relevant results will be presented. Conclusions This study is the first to acquire ERP data in children at 11 months of age in rural Bangladesh. Our findings will identify significant predictors of cognitive functioning measured using the BSID (a well-established developmental test) and using EEG (a sensitive neurophysiological approach) in young children in this setting. Results will indicate the agreement between child cognition outcomes using the BSID and EEG. Funding Sources NHMRC and The University of Melbourne.