Parasitic Helminth Infection and Cognitive Function in School Children

The study examines the effect of moderate to high worm burdens of Trichuris trichiura infection on the cognitive functions of 159 school children (age 9–12 years) in Jamaica, using a double-blind placebo-controlled protocol. Results were evaluated by using a forward-stepwise multiple linear regressi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 1992-02, Vol.247 (1319), p.77-81
Main Authors: Nokes, C., Grantham-McGregor, S. M., Sawyer, A. W., Cooper, E. S., Bundy, D. A. P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Albendazole - therapeutic use
Child
Children
Cognition
Cognitive tests
Control groups
Double-Blind Method
Female
Humans
Infections
Linear regression
Male
Malnutrition
Mathematical independent variables
Memory
Placebos
School age children
Trichuriasis - drug therapy
Trichuriasis - parasitology
Trichuriasis - psychology
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Summary:The study examines the effect of moderate to high worm burdens of Trichuris trichiura infection on the cognitive functions of 159 school children (age 9–12 years) in Jamaica, using a double-blind placebo-controlled protocol. Results were evaluated by using a forward-stepwise multiple linear regression. Removal of worms led to a significant improvement in tests of auditory short-term memory (p < 0.017; p < 0.013), and scanning and retrieval of long-term memory (p < 0.001). Nine weeks after treatment, there were no longer significant differences between the treated children and an uninfected Control group in these three tests of cognitive function. It is concluded that whipworm infection has an adverse effect on certain cognitive functions which is reversible by therapy.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.1992.0011