Semantic fluency: A sensitive marker for cognitive impairment in children with heavy diarrhea burdens?

Oriá, Reinaldo B.; Costa, Carlos Maurício C.; Lima, Aldo A.M.; Patrick, Peter D.; Guerrant, Richard L.

doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2009.05.013

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Volume 73, Issue 5 , Pages 682-686, November 2009

Semantic fluency: A sensitive marker for cognitive impairment in children with heavy diarrhea burdens?

Reinaldo B. Oriá
- Center for Global Health, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Institute of Biomedicine of the Semiarid and Department of Morphology, 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.
Carlos Maurício C. Costa
- Institute of Biomedicine of the Semiarid and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
Aldo A.M. Lima
- Center for Global Health, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Peter D. Patrick
- Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center, Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Richard L. Guerrant
- Center for Global Health, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

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.