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.
Summary

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.

Table of 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. Harsl f, Louise B. S rensen, 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