Cognitive Deficits (cont.)

Medical Author:

Georgina Peacock, MD

Medical Editor:

Elizabeth A Finley-Belgrad, MD

Medical Editor:

Mary L Windle, PharmD

Medical Editor:

Cynthia R Ellis, MDr

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Cognitive deficits do not have an identifiable cause in many people. However, with comprehensive evaluation, the specific cause of about 70% of cases of severe deficits can be identified.

The causes of cognitive disabilities are generally divided into prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors.

• Prenatal causes (those that occur before birth) may include genetic abnormalities, infections, exposures to substances that cause birth defects, and central nervous system malformations Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome are among the most common genetic causes of intellectual disability.

• Perinatal causes (those occurring around the time of birth) may include fetal malnutrition, prematurity, and decreased oxygen to the brain.

• Postnatal or acquired causes (those after the newborn period) may include trauma (accidental and nonaccidental), suffocation, infections, toxic ingestions, brain damage, central nervous system tumors or cancer, degenerative disorders, and environmental influences (psychosocial deprivation, severe malnutrition).

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