The Role of Early Nutritional Deficiencies in the Development of Psychopathology

Lack of adequate nutrition is a serious public health concern in both developing and developed countries. In developing countries, this condition usually takes the form of generalized malnutrition (including deficiencies in both macronutrients and micronutrients). In developed countries, strict micronutrient deficiencies are more common. Early nutritional deficits are associated with disturbances in cognitive development and to the later development of psychopathology. Following a brief historical overview, the authors present a review of the studies directly linking early malnutrition to the later development of various types of psychopathologies including schizophrenia spectrum disorders, antisocial behavior and other externalizing disorders, substance use disorders, and internalizing disorders such as depression. To provide a wider context, the discussion progresses to a review of the effects of early malnutrition on cognitive development surveying both human and animal studies. This is followed by a brief exploration of the effects of generalized malnutrition on the neurobiology of the developing nervous system including a summary of the effects of specific micronutrient deficiencies. The chapter concludes with an examination of potential mechanisms to explain the contribution of nutritional deficits to the development of psychopathology. Translational implications for the study of developmental psychopathology are also discussed. Keywords: nutritional deficiencies; protein energy malnutrition; undernutrition; micronutrient deficiency; famine; psychopathology; schizophrenia