Early-life malnutrition role in memory, emotional behavior and motor impairments in early brain lesions with potential for neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Objectives: The present study aims to evaluate the impact of early exposure to brain injury and malnutrition on episodic memory and behavior.

Methods: For this, a systematic review was carried out in the Medline/Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, and LILACS databases with no year or language restrictions.

Results: Initially, 1759 studies were detected. After screening, 53 studies remained to be read in full. The meta-analysis demonstrated that exposure to double insults worsens episodic recognition memory but does not affect spatial memory. Early exposure to low-protein diets has been demonstrated to aggravate locomotor and masticatory sequelae. Furthermore, it reduces the weight of the soleus muscle and the muscle fibers of the masseter and digastric muscles. Early exposure to high-fat diets promotes an increase in oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, increasing anxiety- and depression-like behavior and reducing locomotion.

Discussion: Epigenetic modifications were noted in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and prefrontal cortex depending on the type of dietetic exposure in early life. These findings demonstrate the impact of the double insult on regions involved in cognitive and behavioral processes. Additional studies are essential to understand the real impact of the double insults in the critical period.