Breastfeeding and Early White Matter Development: A Cross-Sectional Study
To most parents, one of their main goals it to give their child the best chance at having the best life possible, which usually includes giving the child all the tool necessary to be as intelligent as possible. Typically that means teaching basic skills at young ages and then sending him or her to the best school possible. However, can parents do more? This study, performed by Sean C.L. Deoni and his colleagues suggest that there is in fact more parents can do, specifically the mother, which increases brain development in babies. In this study 133 toddlers, both male and female between the ages of 305 and 1541 days, were divided into three groups. The first group was exclusively breastfeed. The second was only fed baby formula, and the last group was a mix of breastfeeding and formula feeding. The children underwent IQ testing as well as a specific type of Magnetic Resonance Imaging termed mcDESPOT, which measures myelin water fraction, to compare the development of the frontal lobe. The results collected by Deoni indicate a correlation between breastfeeding and IQ as well as an increase in volume of the white and sub-cortical grey matter. Additionally, the parietal lobe cortical, part of the brain associated with IQ, increased in mass. These results are consistent with other studies conducted on adolescents. The article covered some of the ideas presented in the textbook about white matter. Due to the fact that white matter in the brain is the myelin sheath (which is white in color) which surrounds the axons. Thus, finding an increase in white matter, as they did in the study, indicated that there is more myelin in the brain. This could be due to more axons forming as a result of breastfeeding or increased density of the myelin. As was discussed in class, an increased number of axons is associated with a particular region of the brain could create higher and more tuned sensitivity to stimuli. More likely, the increased volume indicates that there is more myelin surrounding the axon or that the axon diameter within the myelin. Either of these options, would result in faster transmission of the nerve impulses and increase brain function, represented in this case by the measure of IQ However, another topic that is covered in the book and relevant to the study is the argument of nature versus nurture. This debate covers the idea of which, the inborn genetic makeup of a child or the nurturing of the parents and environment, have a stronger impact on a childs resultant intelligence. This case of course points towards the idea the nurture is very important in the development of the child. The study shows that the increase in brain matter is developed after birth and during the first few months of life. While the study can determine the correlation between breastfeeding and development of late-maturing matter, it cannot yet be attributed to a causal relationship; however, the study includes some discussion of possible causes. One of the main possibilities is that there is long- chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Still, it is possible that a secondary cause is the additional attachment developed to the mother by the increased time spent with her and the nutriment she is physically providing the child. The study showed that the IQ development is largely in the verbal regions of the brain. In the textbook, it described that attachment to a primary caregiver had the potential to increase produce higher verbal skills and better relationships, which would also lead to a growth in these areas of the brain. The finding in this study is consistent with other studies performed on adolescents and thus the results are most likely accurate meaning that they are applicable to researcher. This finding has the potential to change the way that mothers are advised to care for very young children and lead to further studies on the on the possibilities differences in late-maturing matter.