A new study from the University of California, Davis, reveals a connection between asthma and memory difficulties in children. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study highlights that children with asthma may experience slower cognitive development particularly in memory. This research, the first of its kind underscores the need to consider chronic conditions like asthma as potential sources of cognitive challenges in children.
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that affects millions worldwide including 4.6 million children in the United States. It is known to cause inflammation and tightening of the airways which can make breathing difficult. The study involved 2,062 children aged 9 to 10, comparing those with asthma to those without the condition. The findings showed that children with asthma performed worse on episodic memory tasks which involve recalling personal experiences and emotions.
In a subset of 473 children, the study also found that those with earlier onset asthma and longer exposure to the disease had a slower improvement in memory over time. The data was part of the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study which has been tracking 11,800 children since 2015.
The study’s authors warn that these memory deficits could have long-term consequences with earlier studies linking asthma to a higher risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. They suggest that persistent inflammation or oxygen supply disruptions caused by asthma attacks may affect brain development.
While the exact mechanisms remain unclear, the research team points to the potential effects of asthma medications on brain regions like the hippocampus which is crucial for memory. This study calls for further exploration into how chronic diseases like asthma could impact brain health and cognitive development in children.
