Sphingomyelin in brain and cognitive development: preliminary data

Abstract Sphingomyelin (SM) supports brain myelination, a process closely associated with cognitive maturation. The presence of SM in breast milk suggests a role in infant nutrition, however, little is known about SM contribution to healthy cognitive development. We investigated the link between early life dietary SM, later cognitive development and myelination using an exploratory observational study of neurotypical children. SM levels were quantified in infant nutrition products fed in the first 3 months of life and associated with myelin content (brain MRI) as well as cognitive development (Mullen Scales of Early Learning). Higher levels of SM were significantly associated with higher rates of change in verbal development in the first 2 years of life (r=0.65, P These findings indicate an impact of dietary SM on cognitive development in healthy children, potentially modulated by oligodendrocytes and increased axon myelination. Future research should include randomized controlled trials to substantiate efficacy of SM for cognitive benefits together with preclinical studies examining SM bioavailability and brain uptake. Significance statement The presences of sphingomyelin (SM) in breast milk suggests it has an important role in infant nutrition. Ways of measuring SM in milk are only recently developed, meaning little is known about its role in brain development. In this study, we used two approaches to explore this further. First, we investigated the link between early life SM obtained from the diet with later brain development and brain structure in a group of healthy children. Second, we examined the mechanism behind these effects using experimental models of brain development. Our findings in children indicate a positive impact of SM on brain development supported by experimental models. Future studies need to investigate further to build on the findings of our preliminary work.