title: Neurocognitive domains affected by cerebral malaria and severe malarial anemia in children.
abstract: This study assessed the effects of cerebral malaria (CM) and severe malarial anemia (SMA) on individual neurocognitive domains. Eighty children with CM, 86 with SMA, and 61 community children (CC) were assessed for gross motor skills, fine motor skills, visual reception, receptive language, and expressive language a week after discharge (CM or SMA) or at enrolment (CC), and 6 and 12 months later. At 12-months follow-up, children with CM had significantly lower scores than CC for all outcomes. Children with SMA had significantly lower scores than CC for visual reception, receptive language, and expressive language, and scores that were lower but did not reach significance for gross and fine motor skills. Children with CM had significantly lower scores than children with SMA for fine motor skills. Children with SMA and CM have long-term impairment in multiple neurocognitive domains. Fine motor skills may be affected more profoundly in CM than SMA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bangirana
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Robert O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Opoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Boivin
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Idro
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hodges
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Chandy C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: John
keywords: cerebral malaria; neurocognitive deficits; severe malarial anemia