title: Breast Milk Feeding, Brain Development, and Neurocognitive Outcomes: A 7-Year Longitudinal Study in Infants Born at Less Than 30 Weeks' Gestation.
abstract: To determine the associations of breast milk intake after birth with neurological outcomes at term equivalent and 7 years of age in very preterm infants
  
  
  
  We studied 180 infants born at <30 weeks' gestation or <1250 grams birth weight enrolled in the Victorian Infant Brain Studies cohort from 2001-2003. We calculated the number of days on which infants received >50% of enteral intake as breast milk from 0-28 days of life. Outcomes included brain volumes measured by magnetic resonance imaging at term equivalent and 7 years of age, and cognitive (IQ, reading, mathematics, attention, working memory, language, visual perception) and motor testing at 7 years of age. We adjusted for age, sex, social risk, and neonatal illness in linear regression.
  
  
  
  A greater number of days on which infants received >50% breast milk was associated with greater deep nuclear gray matter volume at term equivalent age (0.15 cc/d; 95% CI, 0.05-0.25); and with better performance at age 7 years of age on IQ (0.5 points/d; 95% CI, 0.2-0.8), mathematics (0.5; 95% CI, 0.1-0.9), working memory (0.5; 95% CI, 0.1-0.9), and motor function (0.1; 95% CI, 0.0-0.2) tests. No differences in regional brain volumes at 7 years of age in relation to breast milk intake were observed.
  
  
  
  Predominant breast milk feeding in the first 28 days of life was associated with a greater deep nuclear gray matter volume at term equivalent age and better IQ, academic achievement, working memory, and motor function at 7 years of age in very preterm infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Electronic address: mbrown9@partners.org.
authors.forename: Mandy B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Belfort
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: St. John's College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Victoria A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Katherine J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Molesworth
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Deanne K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Royal Women's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Lex W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Terrie E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Inder
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development; D007360:Intelligence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008895:Milk, Human
keywords: academic achievement; intelligence; magnetic resonance imaging; memory; preterm infant