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Effects of hydration on relational memory among preadolescent children
Author(s) -
Westfall Daniel R.,
Hassevoort Kelsey M.,
Barnett Sasha,
Covello Alicia R.,
Bottin Jeanne H.,
Perrier Erica T.,
Cohen Neal J.,
Hillman Charles H.,
Khan Naiman A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.636.7
Subject(s) - cognition , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , psychology , urine osmolality , developmental psychology , medicine , pediatrics , urine , neuroscience
Background Epidemiological data demonstrate that a majority of children in many industrialized countries are inadequately hydrated. However, the implications of water intake or hydration on children's physical and mental health remain understudied. Specifically, there is a gap in knowledge pertaining to the impact of changes in hydration and children's cognitive function. Objective The current study assessed the effects of changes in water consumption on relational memory among preadolescent children. In addition, we aimed to understand the within condition relationships between markers of hydration and children's memory performance. Methods A counter‐balanced crossover design was used. Children between 9–10 years (N=26, 11 females) underwent high (HIGH; 2L/d) and low (LOW; 1L/d) water conditions for 4d. Following each condition, children completed a spatial reconstruction task designed to assess hippocampal‐dependent relational memory. Urine osmolality was assessed using pooled samples collected during the 24‐hr period (24‐h U Osm ) preceding cognitive testing. Results 24‐h U Osm was significantly lower in the HIGH (393 ± 168 mOsm/kg) compared to LOW fluid intake condition (787 ± 206 mOsm/kg; p<0.01). Between condition analyses yielded no significant effects for relational memory performance (all p's > .117). However, within condition analyses revealed that 24‐h U Osm was correlated with relational memory performance. During the HIGH condition, higher 24‐h U Osm was associated with greater swap (r = .540, p = .004), misplacement (r = .429, p = .029), and edge resizing (r = .474, p = .014) errors. During the LOW condition, higher 24‐h U Osm was correlated with greater misplacement (r = .403, p = .041), edge resizing (r = .390, p = .049), and edge deflection (r = .478, p = .013) errors. Conclusions Although the intervention did not significantly change relational memory performance, lower urine osmolality, i.e. better hydration, was associated with superior relational memory within each condition. Comprehensive understanding of fluid modulation effects on children's cognitive performance will need to account for baseline hydration, a limitation of the present work. Support or Funding Information Supported by Danone Research