Published online March 1, 2006
PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 3 March 2006, pp. e476-e486 (doi:10.1542/peds.2004-2859)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Valiante, A. G.
Right arrow Articles by Young, S. N.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Valiante, A. G.
Right arrow Articles by Young, S. N.
Related Collections
Right arrow Nutrition & Metabolism

A Typical Feeding Enhances Memory for Spoken Words in Healthy 2- to 3-Day-Old Newborns

A. Grace Valiante, MSca, Ronald G. Barr, MDCMb, Philip R. Zelazo, PhDc, Apostolos N. Papageorgiou, MDCMd and Simon N. Young, PhDe

a Department of Developmental Pediatrics, Montreal Children's Hospital–McGill University Health Centre and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
b Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
c Department of Psychology, McGill University and Center for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
d Department of Neonatology, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
e Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

OBJECTIVE. The objective of this study was to determine whether healthy 2- to 3-day-old newborns have better memory of a spoken word after a typical feeding (breast milk or formula) than before a feeding and, if so, whether memory is related to blood glucose.

METHODS. A naturalistic study was conducted in which delayed recognition memory of a spoken word was examined in 60 healthy 2- to 3-day-old newborns either 120 minutes after their previous feeding (preprandial) or 30 minutes after their last feeding (postprandial). In this procedure, infants initially turn their head toward a novel word (orientation) and with repeated presentations cease turning toward it (habituation). Mean number of trials to reach orientation and habituation criteria provides measures of attention and rate of learning, respectively. After a 100-second delay, the word is presented again. Infants either turn toward it, indicating that they have forgotten it, or remain habituated, indicating that they remembered the word. Percentage of trials with head turns toward the word after the delay is the principal dependent measure.

RESULTS. The postprandial group was split at the median for blood glucose to define high- and low-glucose groups. All 3 groups showed similar rates of orientation and habituation. On reexposure to the word during postdelay trials, the preprandial group displayed less retention than the postprandial high and low groups. No correlation was found between memory and blood glucose levels. The postprandial high blood glucose level differed statistically from the preprandial level, whereas the postprandial low level did not.

CONCLUSIONS. Memory for spoken words in newborns is better after a typical milk feeding than before a feeding. This feeding effect is specific to memory and does not include attention or rate of learning. Also, it is not necessarily associated with increased blood glucose. It remains to be seen whether feeding enhances memory for other types of stimuli and what implications this may have for development.

Key Words: healthy newborn • auditory memory • feeding • breast milk/formula • habituation

Accepted Sep 19, 2005.