SEQUELAE OF EARLY UNDERNUTRITION ON REACTION-TIME OF RURAL CHILDREN AT 11-14 YEARS

85 undernourished rural school children at 11-14 yr of age were random ly selected on the basis of their nutritional status during first five years of life for assessment of reaction time (RT). Audio-visual RT a pparatus and electromyograph were used for the study. Early life under nourished children had prolonged RT as compared to their matched contr ol maintaining normal nutrition status in first five years of life. Th e total, premotor and motor RT for audio as well as visual stimuli wer e affected in these undernourished children, The RT increased with sev erity of current undernutrition; those achieving normal nutritional st atus at this age continued to have prolonged RT. The study suggests th at the early life undernutrition affects perceptual abilities, informa tion processing and analytical capabilities.