title: Auditory- and visual-evoked potentials in Mexican infants are not affected by maternal supplementation with 400 mg/d docosahexaenoic acid in the second half of pregnancy.
abstract: The evidence relating prenatal supplementation with DHA to offspring neurological development is limited. We investigated the effect of prenatal DHA supplementation on infant brainstem auditory-evoked responses and visual- evoked potentials in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Pregnant women were supplemented daily with 400 mg DHA or placebo from gestation wk 18-22 through delivery. DHA and placebo groups did not differ in maternal characteristics at randomization or infant characteristics at birth. Brainstem auditory-evoked responses were measured at 1 and 3 mo in 749 and 664 infants, respectively, and visual-evoked potentials were measured at 3 and 6 mo in 679 and 817 infants, respectively. Left-right brainstem auditory-evoked potentials were moderately correlated (range, 0.26-0.43; all P < 0.001) and left-right visual-evoked potentials were strongly correlated (range, 0.79-0.94; all P < 0.001) within any assessment. Correlations across visits were modest to moderate (range, 0.09-0.38; all P < 0.01). The offspring of DHA-supplemented women did not differ from those of control women with respect to any outcome measure (all comparisons P > 0.10). We conclude that DHA supplementation during pregnancy did not influence brainstem auditory-evoked responses at 1 and 3 mo or visual-evoked potentials at 3 and 6 mo.
authors: Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Aryeh D
authors: AD
authors: Stein
authors: Meng
authors: M
authors: Wang
authors: Juan A
authors: JA
authors: Rivera
authors: Reynaldo
authors: R
authors: Martorell
authors: Usha
authors: U
authors: Ramakrishnan
mesh_terms: D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000187:drug effects*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008800:Mexico; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced*; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
chemical_list: D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids