The Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Myelination, Socio-Emotional and Language Development: Observational Data from Breast-Fed Infants in the United States of America
Infancy is a critical period for neurodevelopment, which includes myelination, synaptogenesis, synaptic pruning, and the development of motor, social-emotional, and cognitive functions. Human milk provides essential nutrients to the infant’s developing brain, especially during the first postnatal mo...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/21/4624 |
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| author | Purva Rajhans Fabio Mainardi Sean Austin Norbert Sprenger Sean Deoni Jonas Hauser Nora Schneider |
| author_facet | Purva Rajhans Fabio Mainardi Sean Austin Norbert Sprenger Sean Deoni Jonas Hauser Nora Schneider |
| author_sort | Purva Rajhans |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Infancy is a critical period for neurodevelopment, which includes myelination, synaptogenesis, synaptic pruning, and the development of motor, social-emotional, and cognitive functions. Human milk provides essential nutrients to the infant’s developing brain, especially during the first postnatal months. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a major component of human milk, and there is growing evidence of the association of individual HMOs with cognitive development in early life. However, to our knowledge, no study has explained these associations with a mechanism of action. Here, we investigated possible mediating associations between HMOs in human milk, brain myelination (measured via myelin water fraction), and measures of motor, language (collected via the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III)), and socioemotional development (collected via the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional Version (ASQ-SE)) in healthy term-born breast-fed infants. The results revealed an association between 6′Sialyllactose and social skills that was mediated by myelination. Furthermore, associations of fucosylated HMOs with language outcomes were observed that were not mediated by myelination. These observations indicate the roles of specific HMOs in neurodevelopment and associated functional outcomes, such as social-emotional function and language development. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:23:47Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:23:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-d4d97e5a9e7f44c3a8da16f37b1463a52023-11-10T15:09:50ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432023-10-011521462410.3390/nu15214624The Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Myelination, Socio-Emotional and Language Development: Observational Data from Breast-Fed Infants in the United States of AmericaPurva Rajhans0Fabio Mainardi1Sean Austin2Norbert Sprenger3Sean Deoni4Jonas Hauser5Nora Schneider6Brain Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vers-chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Data Sciences & Precision Nutrition, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vers-chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, SwitzerlandNestlé Institute of Food Safety and Analytical Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vers-chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, SwitzerlandGastro-Intestinal Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vers-chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, SwitzerlandAdvanced Baby Imaging Lab, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02912, USABrain Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vers-chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, SwitzerlandBrain Health Department, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vers-chez-les-Blanc, 1000 Lausanne, SwitzerlandInfancy is a critical period for neurodevelopment, which includes myelination, synaptogenesis, synaptic pruning, and the development of motor, social-emotional, and cognitive functions. Human milk provides essential nutrients to the infant’s developing brain, especially during the first postnatal months. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a major component of human milk, and there is growing evidence of the association of individual HMOs with cognitive development in early life. However, to our knowledge, no study has explained these associations with a mechanism of action. Here, we investigated possible mediating associations between HMOs in human milk, brain myelination (measured via myelin water fraction), and measures of motor, language (collected via the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III)), and socioemotional development (collected via the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional Version (ASQ-SE)) in healthy term-born breast-fed infants. The results revealed an association between 6′Sialyllactose and social skills that was mediated by myelination. Furthermore, associations of fucosylated HMOs with language outcomes were observed that were not mediated by myelination. These observations indicate the roles of specific HMOs in neurodevelopment and associated functional outcomes, such as social-emotional function and language development.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/21/4624human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)myelinationsocial-emotional developmentlanguage development |
| spellingShingle | Purva Rajhans Fabio Mainardi Sean Austin Norbert Sprenger Sean Deoni Jonas Hauser Nora Schneider The Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Myelination, Socio-Emotional and Language Development: Observational Data from Breast-Fed Infants in the United States of America Nutrients human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) myelination social-emotional development language development |
| title | The Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Myelination, Socio-Emotional and Language Development: Observational Data from Breast-Fed Infants in the United States of America |
| title_full | The Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Myelination, Socio-Emotional and Language Development: Observational Data from Breast-Fed Infants in the United States of America |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Myelination, Socio-Emotional and Language Development: Observational Data from Breast-Fed Infants in the United States of America |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Myelination, Socio-Emotional and Language Development: Observational Data from Breast-Fed Infants in the United States of America |
| title_short | The Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Myelination, Socio-Emotional and Language Development: Observational Data from Breast-Fed Infants in the United States of America |
| title_sort | role of human milk oligosaccharides in myelination socio emotional and language development observational data from breast fed infants in the united states of america |
| topic | human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) myelination social-emotional development language development |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/21/4624 |
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