Se. Carlson et M. Neuringer, Polyunsaturated fatty acid status and neurodevelopment: A summary and critical analysis of the literature, LIPIDS, 34(2), 1999, pp. 171-178
The rationale for randomized trials designed to measure the effects of vari
able docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) status on neurodevelopment in human infants
came from earlier studies of neurodevelopment in animals that were deficie
nt in DHA owing to diets low in a-linolenic acid. The session on neurodevel
opment looked at the results of these animal studies and discussed outcomes
that appear to be analogous in human infants with variable DHA status. Pre
sentations focused mainly on measures of development that may be attributed
to more specific developmental domains (e.g., visual attention, recognitio
n memory, problem-solving), some of which have been shown to be affected by
long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) status. This paper derives
from discussions that took place during the session and reviews subsequent
developments in this area. Although more difficult to interpret, global mea
sures of infant development (e.g., the Bayley Scales of Infant Development,
and Brunet-Lezine) can only suggest a relationship to specific development
al domains, but they have been applied in some randomized trials of LCPUFA
and infant development. Those results are also summarized here.