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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #195827
Title: EFFECTS OF EARLY INFANT DIET ON DEVELOPMENT OF EEG DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE

Author
item JING, HONGKUI - ACNC/UAMS
item PIVIK, R - ACNC/UALR
item Gilchrist, Janet
item BADGER, THOMAS - ACNC/UAMS

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/13/2006
Publication Date: 10/15/2006
Citation: Jing, H., Pivik, R.T., Gilchrist, J.M., Badger, T.M. 2006. Effects of early infant diet on development of EEG during the first year of life [abstract]. American Clinical Neurophysiology Annual Meeting, November 3-4, 2006, Chicago, Illinois. Program B05. p. 48-49.

Interpretive Summary: The effect of infant diet on the development of resting brain electrical activity during the first year of life was studied in healthy babies fed breast milk, milk formula or soy formula. Formula-fed babies showed greater changes than breast-fed babies in amplitude of slower brain electrical activity up to 6 months of age, but by 12 months these differences were greatly reduced. These findings show that early diet does influence the development of brain electrical activity in healthy infants. It is unclear at this time how or if the early differences may affect later behavioral development.

Technical Abstract: To determine if diet influences development of brain electrical activity (resting EEG) during the first year of life, high density EEG recordings (128 channels) were made during at 3, 6, and 12 months of age in the same 113 full-term healthy infants [42 breast-fed (20 males), 45 milk-formula-fed (27), and 26 soy-formula-fed (10)]. Analyses of waking spectral power from artifact-free EEG epochs revealed significant effects for the factors of age, brain area, hemisphere, and frequency band (all p < 0.01). Spectral power was greatest in frontal, central, parietal, and anterior temporal areas, particularly in the left hemisphere. Power increased from 3 to 6 months, especially in the 3-6 Hz range. From 6 to 12 months the mean power in low bands (< 6 Hz) decreased while that in higher bands (> 6 Hz) increased. In these analyses greater changes were found in formula-fed than in breast-fed infants, particularly between 3 and 6 months. These results indicate that early diets influence the development of brain electrical activity during infancy. The meaning of these differences is unclear at this time.