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Eye-blinking rates are slower in infants with iron-deficiency anemia than in nonanemic iron-deficient or iron-sufficient infants.
- Source :
-
The Journal of nutrition [J Nutr] 2010 May; Vol. 140 (5), pp. 1057-61. Date of Electronic Publication: 2010 Mar 24. - Publication Year :
- 2010
-
Abstract
- Iron deficiency has been shown to impair dopamine functioning in rodent models, but it is challenging to obtain evidence of such effects in human infants. Because spontaneous eye-blink rate may provide a noninvasive assessment of dopamine functioning, we hypothesized that eye-blink rate would be lower in infants with iron-deficiency anemia and would increase with iron therapy. A 4-min eye-blink assessment was conducted for quiet, alert infants sitting on their mother's lap. Data were available for 61 9- to 10-mo-old infants from inner-city Detroit (19 iron-deficient anemic, 23 nonanemic iron-deficient, and 19 nonanemic iron-sufficient). Iron-deficient and iron-sufficient nonanemic groups had similar eye-blink rates (P = 0.90) and were therefore combined. We used Poisson regression based on generalized estimation equation methodology to test for differences between iron-deficient anemic and nonanemic infants in blinks/min and change after 3 mo of iron therapy. Iron-deficient anemic infants had a lower initial eye-blink rate than nonanemic infants (mean +/- SD) (4.0 +/- 1.9 vs. 5.3 +/- 2.8 blinks/min; P = 0.02; effect size = 0.6 SD). At 12 mo, eye-blink rate increased by 2.1 blinks/min in the iron-deficient anemic group (P = 0.008); there was no change in the nonanemic group (P = 0.96). These results are consistent with reduced dopamine function in iron-deficient anemic infants. The clinical importance of a lower eye-blink rate is unclear, but impaired dopamine functioning is likely to have broader impact, given the role dopamine plays in regulating movement, motivation, cognition, and hormone release.
- Subjects :
- Anemia, Iron-Deficiency drug therapy
Blinking drug effects
Humans
Infant
Iron therapeutic use
Iron Deficiencies
Michigan
Poisson Distribution
Reference Values
Time Factors
Trace Elements deficiency
Trace Elements therapeutic use
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency physiopathology
Blinking physiology
Dopamine physiology
Iron pharmacology
Trace Elements pharmacology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1541-6100
- Volume :
- 140
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The Journal of nutrition
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 20335633
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.110.120964