Affiliations: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and
Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University, Buenos
Aires, Argentina | Psychology School, Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile | Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience,
Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile | National Scientific and Technical Research Council,
Buenos Aires, Argentina | Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Abierta
Interamericana, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Psychology School, Universidad Surcolombiana, Neiva,
Colombia | Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, Barranquilla,
Colombia
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. Ibanez, Laboratory of Experimental,
Psychology and Neuroscience Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO) and
CONICET, Pacheco de Melo 1854/60 (C1126AAB) Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tel./Fax:
+54 11 4812 0010; web: http://www.ineco.org.ar/; E-mail:
aibanez@ineco.org.ar
Abstract: Objective: Several longitudinal studies had shown that early
deprivation and institutionalization during the first six months of life
affects the emotional, cognitive, social and neurophysiologic development.
Nevertheless, our understanding of possible similar effects of delayed
institutionalization, in preschool-age remains unclear to this day. The goal of
this study is to evaluate the cognitive performance of institutionalized
children with history of preschool-age physical abandonment. Method: 18 male institutionalized children with history of
abandonment during the preschool-age (2–5 years old) and comparison group
matched by age, handedness, gender, educational and socioeconomic level were
tested on multiple tasks of attention, memory and executive functions. Results: We found a cognitive impairment in the institutionalized
children in several measures of attention, memory and executive functions. This
is the first report of cognitive impairment related to late abandonment and
institutionalization effects (after 2 years old), extending the already known
effects on early institutionalization. Conclusions: This preliminary study suggests that environmental
factors including abandonment and institutional care, can affect not only the
infancy period, but also the preschool period providing new insights into our
understanding of neurocognitive development.
