New research from the University of East Anglia has found a link between stunted growth in infants and reduced cognitive abilities as early as six months of age. The study, which is the first of its kind, discovered that infants with stunted growth had compromised visual working memory, leading to increased distractibility and poorer cognitive outcomes by the age of one. This finding highlights the importance of early intervention to mitigate cognitive disadvantages later in life.
The researchers compared the visual working memory of children with stunted growth to those with typical growth. Stunted growth has been previously associated with poor cognitive outcomes later in life, but this study is the first to establish a connection between stunted growth and functional differences in brain function during early development.
Led by Professor John Spencer from UEA’s School of Psychology, the team conducted the first brain imaging study of its kind, involving over 200 children. The research revealed that typically-developing infants demonstrated engagement of a working memory brain network, which predicted their cognitive outcomes one year later. In contrast, infants with stunted growth displayed a different pattern of brain activity, indicating increased distractibility.
Dr. Sobana Wijeakumar, the first author of the study and an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, explained that the distractability observed in infants with stunted growth was associated with a brain network involved in attention allocation, suppressing distraction, and maintaining items in working memory.
The infants’ brain activity and cognitive abilities were assessed at six to nine months, and their cognitive abilities were followed up one year later. The results showed that infants with stunted growth had significantly poorer cognitive abilities at both stages compared to typically-developing children.
Interestingly, the study found that infants with restricted growth who performed well in cognitive testing during their second year had unexpectedly strong visual memory at the earlier stage. This suggests that efforts to improve working memory and reduce distractibility in infants could potentially prevent or mitigate cognitive disadvantages later in life.
The research was conducted in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, the Community Empowerment Lab, Durham University, University of Iowa, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The study, titled “Stunting in infancy is associated with atypical activation of working memory and attention networks,” was published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
This research has important implications for understanding child development and the cognitive impact of stunted growth. By identifying brain function differences associated with stunted growth, it provides insights into potential interventions and the need for early support to improve cognitive outcomes for affected infants.