PMID: 9440381Jan 24, 1998Paper

Central somatosensory conduction time in severely growth-stunted children

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
H HesseG J Quirk

Abstract

To examine the effects of chronic malnutrition on central nervous system function, we used the somatosensory evoked potential to measure the central conduction time of 20 children aged 7-8 y with heights below the third percentile for their age and 20 control children in Honduras. The two groups differed significantly in socioeconomic status, achievement in Bender's neurointegrative test, and hematocrit, but not in birth weight. After median nerve stimulation, the mean central conduction time (interpeak latency between N13 and N20) for the growth-stunted group (6.19 +/- 0.52 ms) did not differ significantly from that of the control subjects (6.30 +/- 0.58 ms), suggesting appropriate myelination and fiber diameter. Somatosensory tracts may escape damage resulting from postnatal dietary deficiencies because myelination in these tracts is almost complete at birth.

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cardiac Conduction System

The cardiac conduction system is a specialized tract of myocardial cells responsible for maintaining normal cardiac rhythm. Discover the latest research on the cardiac conduction system here.

Barrel cortex

Here is the latest research on barrel cortex, a region of somatosensory and motor corticies in the brain, which are used by animals that rely on whiskers for world exploration.

Brain developing: Influences & Outcomes

This feed focuses on influences that affect the developing brain including genetics, fetal development, prenatal care, and gene-environment interactions. Here is the latest research in this field.