EEG measures of brain function during a memory task successfully assesses memory in 4‐6 month old infants and may reveal associations between early iron status and memory development.

Abstract

Iron deficiency (ID) during peak brain development—late gestation through infancy—is associated with longterm cognitive deficits. Infants of weaning age (4-6 mo) have high risk of low iron stores, yet no clinical definition of ID exists for infants <12 mo. Previous studies are limited by non-specific measures of cognition. We aim to relate iron status to decreased neural responses during a memory task. In a cross-sectional study of infants (4-6 mo, n = 35), we assessed iron status (Hb, sFt, body iron), brain activity (electroencephalography [EEG]), and attention (heart rate [HR]) during a memory task. We used mixed regression models to estimate the association between iron status and amplitude of EEG peaks related to memory, with relevant covariates. EEG peak amplitude (PA) was more negative for novel (-5.85 ± -7.68 μV) vs control (-3.18 ± -4.03 μV) stimuli (p = 0.01). Preliminary analysis on a data subset (n = 27) suggest no relationship between iron and EEG measures of memory. Controlling for infant attention with HR may reveal associations between iron status and brain activity. We successfully assessed brain measures of memory in early infancy with EEG during a memory task, as demonstrated by the greater negative EEG PA in novel vs control stimuli. Further analysis is needed to control for HR to clarify the association between iron status and neural responses to memory in early infancy. Funders: USDA/CUAES; JEHN is a NSFGRF