Critical and Sensitive Periods in Development and Nutrition

Abstract

Critical or sensitive periods in the life of an organism during which certain experiences or conditions may exert disproportionate influence (either for harm or benefit) on long-term developmental outcomes have been the subject of investigation for over a century. This chapter reviews research in the context of the development of social preferences and sensory systems, with a summary of the criteria for defining such a period and the evidence necessary to establish its existence. The notion of nutritional programming, central to the Barker/Developmental Origins hypotheses of health and disease, represents a variant of the critical/sensitive period concept. It is implicit in these hypotheses that the fetal period is a time during which metabolic and physiological systems are malleable and thus susceptible to either insult or enhancement by nutrient intake. Evidence for critical/sensitive periods or nutritional programming requires a systematic manipulation of the age at which nutritional conditions or supplements are implemented. While common in research using animal models, the approach is difficult to establish in epidemiological studies and virtually nonexistent in human clinical trials. Future work seeking to establish definitive evidence for critical/sensitive periods or programming may be advanced by harmonized outcome measures in experimental trials across which the timing, duration, and dose of nutrients is varied.

Keywords: Critical period; Nutritional programming; Sensitive period.

Figure 1.

Schematic representation of the difference between a critical period (panels a, b) and a sensitive period (panels c, d). Time/age moves from left to right. Note that, in a critical period, the period of malleability or plasticity is sharply defined as a box, with a clear beginning and end, and no gradient over time. In a sensitive period, the degree of plasticity is relatively higher but plasticity never ends. As a result, the end states from a critical period are irreversible or irretrievable, while in a sensitive period some degree of future enhancement or future recovery from harm is possible in the future.

Figure 1.

Schematic representation of the difference between a critical period (panels a, b) and a sensitive period (panels c, d). Time/age moves from left to right. Note that, in a critical period, the period of malleability or plasticity is sharply defined as a box, with a clear beginning and end, and no gradient over time. In a sensitive period, the degree of plasticity is relatively higher but plasticity never ends. As a result, the end states from a critical period are irreversible or irretrievable, while in a sensitive period some degree of future enhancement or future recovery from harm is possible in the future.