Semantic fluency: A sensitive marker for cognitive impairment in children with heavy diarrhea burdens?
Received 29 April 2009; accepted 3 May 2009. published online 11 June 2009.
Summary
One of the most affected cognitive impairments in children who experienced heavy burdens of diarrhea is semantic fluency, the same impairment that is most affected in Alzheimer’s dementia. These findings are leading us into provocative genetic studies that may elucidate the evolution of such genetic polymorphisms as the APOE alleles. Alternatively, diarrhea could launch the cognitive deficits that might later progress in neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, they suggest that semantic fluency could provide a simple mean to assess cognitive impairment in impoverished settings so as to determine preventive measures.
aCenter for Global Health, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
bKluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center, Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
cInstitute of Biomedicine of the Semiarid and Department of Morphology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
dInstitute of Biomedicine of the Semiarid and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
Corresponding author. Address: Institute of Biomedicine of the Semiarid and Department of Morphology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Tel.: +55 85 3366 8239; fax: +55 85 3366 8445.
ABSTRACT