The effect of diet on the development of EEG microstates in healthy infant throughout the first year of life

Abstract

Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to directly measure neuronal activity and evaluate network dynamics with an excellent temporal resolution. These network dynamics in the form of EEG microstates – distinct yet transiently stable topographies captured at peaks of the global field power – are increasingly used as markers of disease, neurodegeneration, and neurodevelopment. However, few studies have evaluated EEG microstates throughout the first year of life, and currently none have examined the potential effects of infant diet. The current study seeks to investigate whether different diets impact EEG microstates throughout the first year of life. EEGs were collected from approximately 500 healthy infants who were fed a human milk, diary-, or soy-based formula at three, six, nine, and twelve months of age. Microstate classes and temporal characteristics were then calculated for each timepoint and diet. Microstates classes showed a clear developmental trajectory, with duration decreasing with age, and coverage, globally explained variance, and occurrence generally increasing with age. There were relatively few significant differences between infants fed different diets, indicating that diet potentially effects functional neurodevelopment more subtly than previously indicated in the literature. This study adds to the growing body of literature demonstrating that formula feeding does not have clear disadvantages in terms of infant functional neuronal development.