title: Vitamin B-12 and Cognition in Children.
abstract: Vitamin B-12 is essential for brain development, neural myelination, and cognitive function. Inadequate vitamin B-12 status during pregnancy and early childhood has been associated with adverse child health outcomes, including impaired cognitive development. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. This review was conducted to examine the evidence that links vitamin B-12 and cognition in children. The search strategy resulted in 17 studies: 3 cross-sectional, 1 case-control, and 12 cohort studies, and 1 randomized trial. Cognitive processes assessed included attention, memory, and perception. Developmental outcomes, academic performance, and intelligence quotient were also considered. Despite the high prevalence of vitamin B-12 insufficiency and associated risk of adverse cognitive outcomes in children, to our knowledge, no studies to date have been conducted to examine the effects of vitamin B-12 supplementation on cognition in children. The role of vitamin B-12 in the etiology of child cognitive outcomes needs to be elucidated to inform public health interventions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Sciences and.
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Venkatramanan
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Sciences and.
authors.forename: Ilianna E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Armata
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Sciences and Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; and.
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Strupp
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Sciences and St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, India jfinkelstein@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Julia L
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9512-5559
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D009752:Nutritional Status; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D014805:Vitamin B 12
keywords: brain; child; cobalamin; cognition; vitamin B-12