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Developmental Zinc Deficiency and Behavior^1,2,

Mari S. Golub^*,3, Carl L. Keen^*,,, M. Eric Gershwin^* and Andrew G. Hendrickx^,,

^* Department of Internal Medicine Department of Nutrition California Regional Primate Research Center Department of Anatomy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616

The majority of studies of developmental zinc deficiency and behavior were conducted in laboratory animals, primarily rats and rhesus monkeys. Effects on food intake complicate interpretation of experiments using severe zinc deficiency. Severe zinc deficiency in rats during the period of rapid brain growth has similar effects to protein calorie malnourishment during this period, including altered emotionality and food motivation. When behavior is tested during a period of zinc deprivation in immature animals, lethargy (reduced activity and responsiveness) is a prominent characteristic, but learning, attention and memory are also affected. The few supplement studies available in children did not report effects on behavior. Although zinc has multiple roles in brain function, considerable brain sparing occurs in zinc deficiency, and peripheral mechanisms of altered behavior also need to be considered.

KEY WORDS: • zinc deficiency • children • animals • behavior • development

¹ Prepared for the International Dietary Energy Consultative Group (IDECG) Task Force workshop on malnutrition and behavior at the University of California, Davis, CA, December 6–10, 1993. This workshop was supported by IDECG, the Nestlé Foundation, Kraft Foods, and the International Union for Nutritional Science. Guest editor for this supplement publication was Ernesto Pollitt, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616.

² Supported by NIH grants HD14388 and RR00169.

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed: California Regional Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616.