Changes in brain dynamics as a function of changes in body iron status: effects on attentional function in Indian adolescents following consumption of iron‐biofortified pearl millet (389.2)

Abstract

Iron deficiency (ID) is a highly prevalent micronutrient deficiency, affecting individuals world wide. Evidence suggests that brain iron deficiency with and without anemia may disrupt myelination, neurotransmitter regulation, synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, and brain energetics. In addition, measures of electroencephelography (EEG) have suggested systematic variations in amplitudes, latencies, and spectral power of EEG components as a function of various measures of iron status. We report analysis of data obtained in the context of a double‐blind efficacy trial, in which Indian adolescents (n = 264) were randomized to groups consuming either high‐iron biofortified or normal‐iron pearl millet. A subset of participants (n = 75, 12‐16 y, 38 females) performed three tasks (simple reaction time, go‐nogo, and the attentional network task) assessing attentional function before and after the intervention while simultaneously having EEG recorded. We observed significant decreases in the latencies and increases in the amplitudes of two early EEG components (P1/N1, P3), as well as increases in global field power and the power of γ‐band activity, all as a function of treatment group, baseline iron status, and changes in iron status. Results suggest the potential for improving brain dynamics by improving iron status and for understanding the role of iron in healthy brain function.Grant Funding Source: HarvestPlus/IFPRI