ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on infection in the infant and childhood diseases that may cause deficits in cognitive development. It considers first those diseases that affect neurocognitive functioning directly, either by infecting the central nervous system (CNS) itself or by causing pathological changes. It examines those infections that affect functioning through some as yet unrecognized mechanism, possibly via the general health and well-being of the child, or the child's interactions with the environment. The chapter finds diseases such as parasitic helminth infections, which cause anemia and malnutrition, which are known to affect cognitive development; and otitis media, which may have an effect on cognitive and linguistic development due to its effect on hearing. After summarizing what is known about the neurocognitive effects of the HIV virus in adults, the chapter discusses studies on younger children and infants, which are the majority of those available, highlighting the importance of good study design that minimizes confounding variables.
