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Related Experiment Videos

Cortisol, contingency learning, and memory in preterm and full-term infants.

David W Haley1, Joanne Weinberg, Ruth E Grunau

  • 1Centre for Community Child Health Research, British Columbia Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. dhaley@cw.bc.ca

Psychoneuroendocrinology
|August 27, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Infant learning and memory are linked to cortisol levels. Moderate cortisol increases, not too little or too much, significantly enhance memory in both preterm and full-term infants.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Infant Cognition

Background:

  • Cortisol influences adult learning and memory, with an inverted-U shaped relationship.
  • Rapid developmental changes in cortisol secretion, learning, and memory occur in early infancy.
  • The relationship between cortisol and cognitive function in infants is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between cortisol levels and learning/memory in preterm and full-term infants.
  • To determine if prematurity-related adrenal insufficiency impacts cortisol-memory relationships.
  • To examine how cortisol secretion patterns relate to infant memory performance.

Main Methods:

  • Learning and memory were assessed in 3-month-old infants (corrected age) using a conjugate reinforcement mobile task.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Memory was re-tested 24 hours later.
  • Salivary cortisol was measured before and 20 minutes after mobile presentation on Day 1.

    • Main Results:

    • Preterm infants exhibited lower cortisol levels and blunted cortisol responses compared to full-term infants.
    • This finding aligns with reported relative adrenal insufficiency in premature neonates.
    • Infants with increased cortisol levels (Day 1, 0–20 min) demonstrated significantly better memory recall, irrespective of prematurity.

    Conclusions:

    • Cortisol response, rather than baseline levels, is associated with memory performance in young infants.
    • The findings suggest that moderate cortisol increases facilitate infant memory, even in the context of prematurity.
    • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex role of cortisol in early cognitive development.