Department of Medicine and Nursing, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil.
Med Hypotheses. 2013 Jan;80(1):13-6. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.09.011. Epub 2012 Oct 23.
The acquisition of cognitive, sensory-motor and social emotional functions depend on a proper development of the Central Nervous System (CNS). This set of functions, known as intelligence, allows a better adaptation to the environment. In the last decades, an increase in the average of intelligence has been reported. However, such an increase cannot be observed in an equivalent way in economically and social underprivileged regions. Children from those regions are in great risk of being affected by mental retardation or impaired cognitive development. In later life they will, probably, be unable to transform and improve themselves and their communities, perpetuating the poverty of the region. Therefore, knowledge of factors involved in CNS development is a matter of health closely related to social improvement. Malnutrition throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding is clearly identifiable as a cause of damage in CNS development. Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) is a micronutrient important to the growth and maturity of the CNS. Thiamine shortcoming may affect 50% of pregnant women. Thiamine function in cerebral development is still not well known. There is a gap in the literature regarding systematical research about the blood thiamine concentration throughout the periods of gestation and breastfeeding. These studies are relevant in populations with a high level of nutritional vulnerability, because in a follow up offspring cognitive exam they could reveal if the maternal thiamine deficiency is related to child CNS impairment. This paper introduce the hypothesis that thiamine shortcoming during pregnancy and breastfeeding is directly related to cognitive impairment of child. Data about the neurophysiological role of thiamine, consequences of its shortcoming in experimental models, populations under the risk of thiamine shortcoming are presented. The hypothesis that maternal thiamine shortcoming causes damage related to child cognitive development needs to be considered. Thus, thiamine shortcoming during gestation and breastfeeding and its effects on children must be studied in many populations in order to know the magnitude of the problem and to indicate actions to overcome it.
认知、感觉运动和社会情感功能的获得依赖于中枢神经系统（CNS）的正常发育。这组被称为智力的功能，使人类能够更好地适应环境。在过去的几十年中，人们报告称智力平均水平有所提高。然而，在经济和社会条件较差的地区，这种提高并不能以同样的方式观察到。这些地区的儿童面临着智力迟钝或认知发育受损的高风险。在以后的生活中，他们可能无法改变和提升自己和他们的社区，从而使该地区的贫困状况持续下去。因此，了解中枢神经系统发育所涉及的因素是一个与社会进步密切相关的健康问题。整个孕期和哺乳期的营养不良显然是中枢神经系统发育受损的一个原因。维生素 B1（硫胺素）是中枢神经系统生长和成熟所必需的微量营养素。硫胺素缺乏可能会影响 50%的孕妇。硫胺素在大脑发育中的功能仍不为人知。关于整个妊娠期和哺乳期血硫胺素浓度的系统研究文献中存在空白。这些研究在营养脆弱性高的人群中很重要，因为在对后代进行认知测试后，他们可以发现母体硫胺素缺乏是否与儿童中枢神经系统损伤有关。本文提出了这样一个假设，即孕期和哺乳期的硫胺素缺乏与儿童认知障碍直接相关。本文介绍了硫胺素的神经生理作用、实验模型中其缺乏的后果以及处于硫胺素缺乏风险下的人群等方面的数据。需要考虑母体硫胺素缺乏导致儿童认知发育受损的假设。因此，必须在许多人群中研究妊娠和哺乳期的硫胺素缺乏及其对儿童的影响，以了解问题的严重程度，并指出克服该问题的措施。
