Early malnutrition decreases contrast sensitivity to circular concentric gratings
Psychol. neurosci. (Impr.)
;
5(1): 3-9, Jan.-June 2012. ilus, tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-654424
ABSTRACT
Early malnutrition refers to inadequate nutrition during the critical period of nervous system development followed by nutritional recovery, resulting in a short stature according to age but normal weight according to short stature. We measured the effects of early malnutrition on contrast sensitivity (CS) to concentric circular gratings in 18 children of both sexes, aged 8 to 11 years (mean = 9.2 years, standard deviation = .99 years). Nine of the children were eutrophic (E group), and nine experienced early malnutrition (EM group) based on state healthcare records and Waterlow's anthropometric parameters. Contrast sensitivity to four spatial frequencies (.25, 1.0, 2.0, and 8.0 cycles per degree [cpd]) was measured using a temporal two-alternative forced-choice psychophysical method with mean luminance of 40.1 cd/m². Statistical analyses showed significant differences between groups and a group × frequency interaction. EM group was significantly less sensitive than the E group to the 8.0 cpd frequency and needed 1.49-times more contrast to detect the gratings. These results suggest that early malnutrition impairs CS to high-spatial-frequency concentric circular gratings in children. Therefore, early malnutrition, which is known to affect primary visual cortical areas, may also affect higher visual cortical areas such as V4 and the inferotemporal cortex.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Child Nutrition Disorders
/
Contrast Sensitivity
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
Limits:
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychol. neurosci. (Impr.)
Journal subject:
Neurology
/
Psychology
Year:
2012
Type:
Article
/
Project document
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Universidade Federal da Paraíba/BR
/
Universidade de São Paulo/BR
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