(69) Intake of Maternal Human Milk Is Associated with Early Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Premature Infants

Background: While there is an established link between human milk intake and improved neurodevelopment for preterm infants, we are aware of only one study that previously examined associations between human milk and early neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants using electroencephalography (EEG) for assessment of event-related potentials (ERPs).

Objectives: We aim to determine if infant intake of maternal human milk was associated with differential neurodevelopment via infant EEG.

Design/Methods: A sample of n=49 mother-preterm-infant dyads were included. Maternal human milk intake was recorded daily by the dietitian. Infant EEG was collected at hospital discharge during the Mother-Stranger paradigm and processed using the APICE pipeline. Differences in the ERP components of P2, an early attention marker and negative slow wave (NSW), a marker of novelty detection and recognition memory, were assessed using linear regression analyses adjusted for infant gestational age and sex.

Results: In adjusted analyses, infants who received ≥ 90% maternal human milk during hospitalization (n=30) had decreased P2 maximum amplitude (β:-1.28, SE: 0.60, p=0.04) and decreased NSW mean amplitude (β:-2.52, SE: 0.96, p=0.01) to the familiar stimulus. No other significant differences between groups were observed.

Conclusions: Infant intake of maternal human milk during hospitalization was associated with early differences in neurodevelopmental markers via EEG. Greater intake of maternal human milk was associated with decreased P2 maximum amplitude, potentially indicating more efficient stimulus processing, as well as decreased NSW mean amplitude, potentially reflecting more rapid habituation to the familiar stimulus. These findings should be confirmed in a larger sample of preterm infants.