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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Assessing Cellular Stress and Inflammation in Discrete Oxytocin-secreting Brain Nuclei in the Neonatal Rat Before and After First Colostrum Feeding

Assessing Cellular Stress and Inflammation in Discrete Oxytocin-secreting Brain Nuclei in the Neonatal Rat Before and After First Colostrum Feeding

Published on: November 14, 2018

Breastfeeding and early brain development: the Generation R study.

Catherine M Herba¹, Sabine Roza, Paul Govaert

¹Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Maternal & Child Nutrition

|November 22, 2012

Summary

Exclusive breastfeeding in the first two months is linked to better infant brain development. This includes larger brain structures like the gangliothalamic ovoid, suggesting a neural advantage for breastfed babies.

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Last Updated: May 16, 2026

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A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect

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Published on: September 22, 2023

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Pediatrics
Developmental Biology

Background:

Infant breastfeeding offers numerous short- and long-term health advantages.
Understanding early brain development markers in relation to infant feeding is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the association between breastfeeding in the first two months of life and structural brain development markers in infants.
To determine if exclusive breastfeeding correlates with specific brain structure measurements.

Main Methods:

Utilized cranial ultrasound data from the Generation R study at approximately 7 weeks post-natal age.
Measured key brain structures: gangliothalamic ovoid diameter, corpus callosum length, ventricular volume, and head circumference.
Analyzed associations based on maternal reports of infant feeding practices (exclusive breastfeeding, mixed feeding, bottle-feeding) adjusted for covariates.

Main Results:

Exclusive breastfeeding was associated with more optimal brain development compared to bottle-feeding or never being breastfed.
A significant finding was a larger gangliothalamic ovoid diameter in exclusively breastfed infants versus bottle-fed infants.
Exclusively breastfed infants also showed smaller ventricular volumes and larger head circumferences, indicating a general neural developmental advantage.

Conclusions:

Breastfeeding in the first two months of life is associated with more mature brain development in infants.
The gangliothalamic ovoid diameter, a DHA-rich subcortical structure, showed the most consistent association with exclusive breastfeeding.
Findings suggest a non-specific neural developmental advantage for exclusively breastfed babies within the early postnatal period.