Perinatal iron deficiency and neurocognitive development

Iron deficiency is the most common form of nutrient deficiency worldwide. It is highly prevalent due to the limited availability of high quality food in developing countries and poor dietary habits in industrialized countries. According to the World Health Organization, it affects nearly 2 billion p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFrontiers in human neuroscience Vol. 7; p. 585
Main Authors Radlowski, Emily C, Johnson, Rodney W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 23.09.2013
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects
Age
Anemia
Cognition
Cognitive ability
Cognitive development
Developing countries
Fetuses
Food quality
Food stamps
Hippocampus
Homeostasis
Infants
Iron
Iron deficiency
LDCs
Learning
Low birth weight
Memory
Myelination
Neurodevelopment
Neurogenesis
Neuroscience
Nutrient deficiency
Nutrition
Pregnancy
Pregnancy complications
Premature birth
United States > US
cognitive development
nutrition
learning
memory
iron deficiency
hippocampus
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Summary:Iron deficiency is the most common form of nutrient deficiency worldwide. It is highly prevalent due to the limited availability of high quality food in developing countries and poor dietary habits in industrialized countries. According to the World Health Organization, it affects nearly 2 billion people and up to 50% of women who are pregnant. Maternal anemia during pregnancy is especially burdensome to healthy neurodevelopment in the fetus because iron is needed for proper neurogenesis, development, and myelination. Maternal anemia also increases the risk of low birth weight, either due to premature birth or fetal growth restriction, which is associated with delayed neurocognitive development and even psychiatric illness. As rapid neurodevelopment continues after birth infants that received sufficient iron in utero, but that receive a low iron diet after 6 months of age, also show deficits in neurocognitive development, including impairments in learning and memory. Unfortunately, the neurocognitive complications of iron deficiency during critical pre- and postnatal periods of brain development are difficult to remedy, persisting into adulthood. Thus, preventing iron deficiency in the pre- and postnatal periods is critical as is devising new means to recapture cognitive function in individuals who experienced early iron deficiency. This review will discuss the prevalence of pre- and postnatal iron deficiency, the mechanism, and effects of iron deficiency on brain and cognitive development.
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This article was submitted to the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Edited by: Michael Smith, Northumbria University, UK
Reviewed by: Anett Nyaradi, The University of Western Australia, Australia; Leigh Riby, Northumbria University, UK
ISSN:1662-5161
1662-5161
DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00585