title: Voxel-Based Morphometry and fMRI Revealed Differences in Brain Gray Matter in Breastfed and Milk Formula-Fed Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Infant diets may have significant impact on brain development in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate brain gray matter structure and function in 8-year-old children who were predominantly breastfed or fed cow's milk formula as infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two healthy children (breastfed: n = 22, 10 boys and 12 girls; cow's milk formula: n = 20, 10 boys and 10 girls) were studied by using structural MR imaging (3D T1-weighted imaging) and blood oxygen level-dependent fMRI (while performing tasks involving visual perception and language functions). They were also administered standardized tests evaluating intelligence (Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales) and language skills (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total brain gray matter volume did not differ between the breastfed and cow's milk formula groups. However, breastfed children had significantly higher (P < .05, corrected) regional gray matter volume measured by voxel-based morphometry in the left inferior temporal lobe and left superior parietal lobe compared with cow's milk formula-fed children. Breastfed children showed significantly more brain activation in the right frontal and left/right temporal lobes on fMRI when processing the perception task and in the left temporal/occipital lobe when processing the visual language task than cow's milk formula-fed children. The imaging findings were associated with significantly better performance for breastfed than cow's milk formula-fed children on both tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicated greater regional gray matter development and better regional gray matter function in breastfed than cow's milk formula-fed children at 8 years of age and suggested that infant diets may have long-term influences on brain development in children.
authors.affiliation: From the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., T.M.B.) Departments of Pediatrics (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., J.H.S., T.M.B.) Radiology (X.O.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas ouxiawei@uams.edu.
authors.forename: X
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9815-0127
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: From the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., T.M.B.) Departments of Pediatrics (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., J.H.S., T.M.B.).
authors.forename: A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2611-2193
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andres
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., J.H.S., T.M.B.).
authors.forename: R T
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6867-6400
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Pivik
authors.affiliation: From the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., T.M.B.) Departments of Pediatrics (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., J.H.S., T.M.B.).
authors.forename: M A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1645-494X
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cleves
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., J.H.S., T.M.B.).
authors.forename: J H
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4843-8899
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Sciences (Z.D.), Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Z
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1805-2955
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: From the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., T.M.B.) Departments of Pediatrics (X.O., A.A., R.T.P., M.A.C., J.H.S., T.M.B.).
authors.forename: T M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1159-7191
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Badger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D041943:Infant Formula; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007802:Language; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen