Nutrition and the Developing Brain

Description

Nutrients play a significant role in brain development throughout fetal and postnatal life. This book reviews the evidence from animal and human research, highlighting the influence of specific nutrients on brain function and cognitive development. With a unique, integrative approach to the nutritional, environmental, and genetic influences on brain development, the book examines issues such as single versus multiple limiting nutrients, critical periods of deficiency, and the impact of the child-parent relationship on the architecture of the developing brain. 

The effect of undernutrition on the developing brain of infants and young children can be devastating and enduring. It can impede behavioural and cognitive development and educability, thereby undermining future work productivity. Chapter authors are experts in this field of research and provide an up-to-date insight into the role of the individual nutrients in brain development and function.

Features

• Examines both nutritional and environmental influences on early brain development.
• Focuses on brain function, cognitive development, and behavioural outcomes.
• Discusses how nutrients modulate neural plasticity.
• Presents the latest understanding in the rapidly evolving field of nutrition research and its influence on brain development and cognitive functioning.
• Uses a life-stage framework to describe the complex link between multiple micronutrient deficiencies and child development.

Contents

Nutritional and Environmental Influences on Brain Development: Critical Periods of Brain Development, Pathways, and Mechanisms of Effect
Bryan Kolb, Celeste Halliwell, and Robbin Gibb

Macronutrient Deprivation: Biological Mechanisms and Effects on Early Neurodevelopment
Jenalee Doom and Michael K. Georgieff

Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Influence on the Developing Brain
Lotte Lauritzen, Laurine B.S. Harsløf, Louise B. Sørensen, and Camilla T. Damsgaard

The Antioxidant Vitamins A, C, and E and the Developing Brain
Stephanie A. Dillon and Heather Ohly

The Influence of the B Vitamins and Choline on the Developing Brain
Victoria Hall Moran

Iron and the Developing Brain
Harry J. McArdle, Michael K. Georgieff, and William D. Rees

Zinc in the Developing Brain
Andreas M. Grabrucker

Iodine and Brain Development
Sheila A. Skeaff and Shao J. Zhou

Copper and Selenium and the Developing Brain
Nicola M. Lowe

Nutrient Interactions and Multiple-Micronutrient Supplementation
Parul Christian and Laura E. Murray-Kolb

Early Brain Development: Influence of Integrated Nutrition, Child Development, and Environmental Factors
Maureen M. Black and Jennifer M. Reid

Editor(s) Bio

Dr Nicola Lowe is a Professor of Nutritional Science at the University of Central Lancashire and Co-Director of the International Institute of Nutritional Sciences and Food Safety Studies (iINSAFSs). After graduating from the University of Liverpool with a PhD in trace mineral metabolism, Nicola spent four years as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley where she conducted research examining the homeostatic response to dietary zinc depletion. Nicola joined UCLan as a Senior Lecturer in 2000. She is also an Honorary Research Fellow, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Nicola’s primary area of research is micronutrient metabolism with a particular focus on Zinc. She has worked on European Union (EU Framework 6), NHS, National Institutes for Health (USA), US Department of Agriculture, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome Trust funded projects. She is currently involved in projects in Europe, USA, Peru and Pakistan. Nicola is author of over fifty peer reviewed publications. She is a member of the editorial board for the International Scholarly Resarch Network journal, Nutrition, and is a member of the international Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) panel and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Nicola is also the Research Director and a trustee for the Abaseen Foundation. This Lancashire based charity is working alongside community members in rural villages in North West Pakistan, to improve education, nutritional status and health care provision.