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Prenatal DHA supplementation and infant attention.
John Colombo1, Kathleen M Gustafson2, Byron J Gajewski3
1Department of Psychology, Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
Pediatric Research
|July 1, 2016
Summary
Prenatal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation improved infant sustained attention and reduced task attrition. This suggests DHA positively impacts infant attention and state regulation during the first year.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Previous studies on prenatal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and infant cognition show mixed results.
- Global cognitive outcome measures may lack sensitivity to specific domain effects of DHA.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of prenatal DHA supplementation on infant cognitive development, specifically focusing on attention and habituation.
- To determine if DHA influences specific cognitive domains beyond global measures.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial involving pregnant women receiving 600 mg/day DHA or placebo during the last two trimesters.
- Infant cognitive assessments, including visual habituation tests, were conducted at 4, 6, and 9 months of age.
Main Results:
- DHA supplementation did not alter infant look duration or habituation parameters.
- Infants of mothers supplemented with DHA maintained high sustained attention (SA) levels throughout the first year, unlike the placebo group.
- Supplemented infants showed significantly lower attrition rates in habituation tasks, particularly at 6 and 9 months.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal DHA supplementation may enhance sustained attention in infants.
- DHA may positively influence infant state regulation and reduce task withdrawal during early development.
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