Abstract：
Breastfeeding has been associated with several short- and long-term health benefits, including positive cognitive and behavioral outcomes. However, the impact of breastfeeding on structural brain development over time remains unclear. We aimed to assess the association between breastfeeding duration in childhood and the developmental trajectory of overall cortical thickness, cortical area, and total intracranial volume during the transition from childhood to early adulthood. Participants included 670 children and adolescents with 1326 MRI scans acquired over 8 years from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort for Mental Conditions (BHRCS). Breastfeeding was assessed using a questionnaire answered by the parents. Brain measures were estimated using MRI T1-weighted images at three time points, with 3-year intervals. Data were evaluated using generalized additive models adjusted for multiple confounders. We found that a longer breastfeeding duration was directly associated with higher global cortical thickness in the left (edf = 1.0, F = 6.07, p = 0.01) and right (edf = 1.0, F = 4.70, p = 0.03) hemispheres. For the total intracranial volume, we found an interaction between duration of breastfeeding and developmental stage (edf = 1.0, F = 6.81, p = 0.009). No association was found between breastfeeding duration and brain area. Our study suggests that the duration of breastfeeding impacts overall cortical thickness and the development of total brain volume, but not area. This study adds to the evidence on the potential impact of breastfeeding on brain development and provides relevant insights into the mechanisms by which breastfeeding might confer cognitive and mental health benefits.
摘要：
母乳喂养与一些短期和长期的健康益处有关，包括积极的认知和行为结果。然而,随着时间的推移,母乳喂养对大脑结构发育的影响尚不清楚.我们旨在评估儿童期母乳喂养持续时间与整体皮质厚度的发育轨迹之间的关联。皮质区,以及从童年到成年早期过渡期间的总颅内体积。参与者包括670名儿童和青少年，他们在8年内从巴西精神疾病高风险队列（BHRCS）获得了1326次MRI扫描。使用父母回答的问卷评估母乳喂养。使用MRIT1加权图像在三个时间点估计脑测量值，间隔3年。使用针对多个混杂因素调整的广义加性模型评估数据。我们发现，较长的母乳喂养持续时间与左侧（edf=1.0，F=6.07，p=0.01）和右侧（edf=1.0，F=4.70，p=0.03）半球的整体皮质厚度较高直接相关。对于颅内总体积，我们发现母乳喂养持续时间和发育阶段之间存在交互作用(edf=1.0,F=6.81,p=0.009).没有发现母乳喂养持续时间和大脑面积之间的关联。我们的研究表明，母乳喂养的持续时间会影响整体皮质厚度和大脑总体积的发育，但不是区域。这项研究增加了母乳喂养对大脑发育潜在影响的证据，并提供了有关母乳喂养可能赋予认知和心理健康益处的机制的相关见解。
