title: Reversible brain atrophy and reversible developmental retardation in a malnourished infant.
abstract: An 11-month-old infant suffering from microcephalus, developmental delay, severe failure to thrive and marked cortical atrophy on brain CT is presented. The cause of this condition was total calorie malnutrition induced by the emotional dysfunction of the mother. Improvement of the maternal-infant relationship, combined with appropriate nutrition, transformed the infant within 2 months into a normally developing baby with body weight and head circumference within the normal percentile range. A corresponding improvement was found in the brain CT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kessel
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Even
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000254:growth & development*; D002649:Child Abuse; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D005183:Failure to Thrive / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007228:Infant Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D008831:Microcephaly / Q000209:etiology*; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000150:complications*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed