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Nutrients
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Early Nutrition and Neurodevelopment
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Early Nutrition and Neurodevelopment

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 April 2025 | Viewed by 9198

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Linda Larson-Prior

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC), Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
2. Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Little Rock, AR 72207, USA
3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Little Rock, AR 72207, USA
Interests: cognitive development; cognitive function; nutritional status; weight status and sleep; brain function; neuroimaging; behavioral and neuropsychological methods; cognitive neuroscience
Dr. Xiawei Ou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Radiology, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
Interests: pediatric neuroimaging; nutrition; obesity; early brain development; infant; children
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the first few years of life, the human brain exhibits substantial dynamic changes that include increases in tissue volume, cortical complexity, cellular proliferation, and brain network development, with different regions and networks maturing at different rates. This period represents crucial periods of brain development in which cognitive, behavioural and social–emotional functions emerge and begin to mature. While the developmental trajectory of the brain is largely genetically pre-programmed, a growing body of data exists to indicate that environmental factors can profoundly influence this complex process.

Unlike other environmental components of brain development, nutrition is modifiable, and thus represents a promising intervention point for programs and policies aimed at optimizing early-life brain growth and development. Brain structure and epigenetic modification of critical structural and functional genes can have life-long impact if the nutritional deficiency coincides with a period of peak brain growth.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to evaluate the long-term effects of early nutrition on neurodevelopment in infancy and early childhood, help explain why nutritional deficiencies in early life can have consequences well into adulthood, and optimize nutritional management for supporting early postnatal brain development in infants. We welcome submissions of original research studies, reviews, and meta-analyses.

Prof. Dr. Linda Larson-Prior
Dr. Xiawei Ou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • early nutrition
  • human milk
  • breastfeeding
  • supplemental feeding
  • micronutrients
  • fetal nutrition
  • early childhood nutrition
  • structural neurodevelopment
  • functional neurodevelopment
  • brain development
  • cognitive development
  • nutrition and emotional development

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1552 KiB  
Article
Maternal Diet Quality during Pregnancy Is Associated with Neonatal Brain White Matter Development
by Xiaoxu Na, Charles M. Glasier, Aline Andres and Xiawei Ou
Nutrients 2023, 15(24), 5114; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15245114 - 15 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2975
Abstract
Maternal diet and nutrient intake are important for fetal growth and development. In this study, we aim to evaluate whether there are associations between maternal diet quality and the offspring’s brain white matter development. Healthy pregnant women’s (N = 44) nutrition intake was [...] Read more.
Maternal diet and nutrient intake are important for fetal growth and development. In this study, we aim to evaluate whether there are associations between maternal diet quality and the offspring’s brain white matter development. Healthy pregnant women’s (N = 44) nutrition intake was assessed by the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) during the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. Correlations between MRI diffusion tensor imaging measured fractional anisotropy (FA) of the neonatal brain and the HEI-2015 scores were evaluated using voxel-wise analysis with appropriate multiple comparisons correction and post hoc analysis based on regions of interest. Significant correlations were found between sodium scores at the first trimester of pregnancy and mean neonatal FA values in parietal white matter (R = 0.39, p = 0.01), anterior corona radiata (R = 0.43, p = 0.006), posterior limb of internal capsule (R = 0.53, p < 0.001), external capsule (R = 0.44, p = 0.004), and temporal white matter (R = 0.50, p = 0.001) of the left hemisphere. No other correlations were identified. In conclusion, the relationships between the maternal sodium intake score and the neonatal white matter microstructural development indicate sodium intake patterns better aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans during early pregnancy are associated with greater white matter development in the offspring’s brain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Nutrition and Neurodevelopment)
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24 pages, 5685 KiB  
Article
Impact of a Nutrient Formulation on Longitudinal Myelination, Cognition, and Behavior from Birth to 2 Years: A Randomized Clinical Trial
by Nora Schneider, Mickaël Hartweg, Jonathan O’Regan, Jennifer Beauchemin, Leanne Redman, Daniel S. Hsia, Pascal Steiner, Owen Carmichael, Viren D’Sa and Sean Deoni
Nutrients 2023, 15(20), 4439; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15204439 - 19 Oct 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4138
Abstract
Observation studies suggest differences in myelination in relation to differences in early life nutrition. This two-center randomized controlled trial investigates the effect of a 12-month nutritional intervention on longitudinal changes in myelination, cognition, and behavior. Eighty-one full-term, neurotypical infants were randomized into an [...] Read more.
Observation studies suggest differences in myelination in relation to differences in early life nutrition. This two-center randomized controlled trial investigates the effect of a 12-month nutritional intervention on longitudinal changes in myelination, cognition, and behavior. Eighty-one full-term, neurotypical infants were randomized into an investigational (N = 42) or a control group (N = 39), receiving higher versus lower levels of a blend of nutrients. Non-randomized breastfed infants (N = 108) served as a reference group. Main outcomes were myelination (MRI), neurodevelopment (Bayley-III), social-emotional development (ASQ:SE-2), infant and toddler behavior (IBQ-R and TBAQ), and infant sleep (BISQ) during the first 2 years of life. The full analysis set comprised N = 67 infants from the randomized groups, with 81 myelin-sensitive MRI sequences. Significantly higher myelination was observed in the investigational compared to the control group at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of life, as well as significantly higher gray matter volume at 24 months, a reduced number of night awakenings at 6 months, increased day sleep at 12 months, and reduced social fearfulness at 24 months. The results suggest that brain development may be modifiable with brain- and age-relevant nutritional approaches in healthy infants and young children, which may be foundational for later learning outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Nutrition and Neurodevelopment)
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17 pages, 1591 KiB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review over the Effect of Early Infant Diet on Neurodevelopment: Insights from Neuroimaging
by Dylan Gilbreath, Darcy Hagood and Linda Larson-Prior
Nutrients 2024, 16(11), 1703; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16111703 - 30 May 2024
Viewed by 1409
Abstract
The optimization of infant neuronal development through nutrition is an increasingly studied area. While human milk consumption during infancy is thought to give a slight cognitive advantage throughout early childhood in comparison to commercial formula, the biological underpinnings of this process are less [...] Read more.
The optimization of infant neuronal development through nutrition is an increasingly studied area. While human milk consumption during infancy is thought to give a slight cognitive advantage throughout early childhood in comparison to commercial formula, the biological underpinnings of this process are less well-known and debated in the literature. This systematic review seeks to quantitatively analyze whether early diet affects infant neurodevelopment as measured by various neuroimaging modalities and techniques. Results presented suggest that human milk does have a slight positive impact on the structural development of the infant brain—and that this impact is larger in preterm infants. Other diets with distinct macronutrient compositions were also considered, although these had more conflicting results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Nutrition and Neurodevelopment)
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