Fatty Acids and Executive Function Development in 7-12 Year Olds

University of North Carolina (UNC)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Executive Function

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02199808

14-0198

Details and patient eligibility

About

Purpose: To examine the effect of the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio on age-related changes in executive functions in children and older adults.

Participants: Eighty-four typically-developing 7-to 12-year-old children.

Procedure (methods): Participants and a caregiver will participate in 4 sessions. Three sessions will consist of the screening. These sessions will be telephone calls to collect 24-hour diet information that will be used to determine whether they are eligible for the fourth session. Approximately 120 participants will be screened to find 84 participants who are eligible for the fourth session, in which participants will complete a series of tests on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) - a touch-screen device that provides computerized versions of standardized cognitive tests. They will also complete a maze task in which they figure out a path through the maze by walking on the correct squares. Brain activity will be recorded using a portable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system.

Enrollment: 79 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 7 to 12 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Typically-developing children 7-12 years old

Exclusion criteria

• Children or parents who do not speak English
• Any diagnosis of a psychological illness
• History of seizures
• History of tobacco exposure during gestation
• History of alcohol exposure during gestation

Trial design

79 participants in 2 patient groups

7-9 year olds

Description:

These are children who are between 7 and 9 years old when they are tested.

10-12 year olds

Description:

These are children who are between 10 and 12 years old when they are tested.