Abbott Nutrition Health Institute sponsored a continuing education satellite symposia at the 13th Annual APPA Congress in Shanghai, China, on the Importance of Nutrition for the Developing Brain: Consequences of Excess or Undernutrition. Professor Wei Cai, MD, PhD, Vice President, Shanghai Jiatong University and Director, Shanghai Pediatric Research Institute started the symposia and introduced the speaker, Raghavendra Rao, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Center for Neurobehavioral Development at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Dr. Rao spoke about the importance of early nutrition, both in utero (pre-natal) and postnatally (perinatally) on the rapidly growing and developing brain. Dr. Rao’s presentation focused on educating the audience of about 350 pediatricians and nurses on the basic principles of interaction between nutrients and the brain during development, and the role of nutrition in critical and sensitive periods of development. Dr. Rao introduced the concept of neurodevelopmental programming to a very receptive and interested audience. Dr. Rao, whose research focuses on the role of iron in animal models emphasized the important role of iron in the perinatal brain. Dr. Rao’s slides were presented in English and Manadarin Chinese.

Program Objectives:

* Understand the basic principles of nutrient-brain interactions.

* Identify known nutrient deficiencies and excesses in the perinatal brain that impact development.

* Identify the role of supplementation in optimizing neurodevelopment.

Faculty Name: Raghavendra Rao, M.D.

Title:
Assistant Professor
Division of Neonatalogy
University of Minnesota

Bio: Raghavendra Rao, M.D. is an assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology. He earned his M.D. at Mysore University in India. In addition to his postgraduate training in Mangalore and Chandigarh, India, he spent a year in Pediatric Residency at the University of Minnesota before completing his Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Minnesota. When not attending on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Fairview-University Medical Center, Dr. Rao is involved in research on neurodevelopment during the perinatal period under normal and adverse conditions. He is also interested in research studies on the regulation of iron uptake in the developing brain. Dr. Rao has been published in Pediatric Research, Seminars in Neonatology and Journal of Nutrition (to name just a few) in addition to abstracts and contributions to book chapters. He is an invited lecturer, presenting his research in the United States and abroad. Dr. Rao is also a core faculty member of the Center for Neurobehavioral Development and a member of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. His research focus is regional brain development under typical and adverse perinatal conditions. He is specifically interested in understanding the effects of iron deficiency, chronic hypoxia, acute hypoxia-ischemia, and acute hypoglycemia in the developing hippocampus. He utilizes high-field NMR spectroscopy and immunohistochemistry in his research, which is funded by the NICHD and the University Pediatrics Foundation.

Program Date: October 2009

Not Available for Continuing Education Credit

Media Format(s): Audio and Slides (English)

Total Run Time: 63 Minutes
Chapter 1: 12 Minutes
Chapter 2: 23 Minutes
Chapter 3: 28 Minutes