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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Neonatology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1508840
This article is part of the Research Topic Maternal and Infant Nutrition: Impact on Breast Milk, Infant Gut Microbiota and Health Development View all 7 articles
Higher in-hospital proportion of breast milk intake improves brain functional connectivity and neurological assessment in preterm infants
Provisionally accepted- 1 School of Nursing, Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 2 Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
ObjectivePreterm infants may face neurodevelopmental challenges linked to altered brain maturation processes. This study aimed to investigate the impact of in-hospital breast milk intake on brain resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) and neurological assessment at discharge in preterm infants.MethodsWe collected data on breast milk intake from 97 preterm infants, evaluated neurological outcomes using the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessment (ATNAT), and assessed rs-FC via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Groups were stratified by breast milk intake proportion (cutoffs of >70% vs. ≤70%; cutoffs of >90% vs. ≤90%), and conducted logistic regression analysis to explore the relationship between rs-FC and neurological assessment.ResultsPreterm infants with >70% breast milk intake exhibited significantly higher ATNAT levels (χ^2= 8.306, p = 0.004) and stronger rs-FC (p = 0.001) between the right precentral gyrus (PCG) and inferior parietal lobe (IPL). The >90% intake group also showed higher ATNAT levels (χ^2= 7.090, p = 0.008) and further rs-FC enhancements (PCG-PFL: p = 0.016; PCG-IPL: p = 0.008). Logistic regression confirmed rs-FC as a predictor of optimal neurological assessment (p = 0.011, Exp [B] = 0.206, 95% CI: 0.062– 0.682).Conclusion:Higher in-hospital breast milk intake (>70% of total enteral nutrition) improves rs-FC and neurological outcomes in preterm infants, with dose-dependent effects.
Keywords: preterm infants, NICu, breast milk, neurological assessment, breastfeeding
Received: 10 Oct 2024; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Wang, Cai, Chen, Zhu, Yuan, Wang and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Fang Wang, Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Xinfen Xu, Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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