Thank you and farewell to our toddlers…
…at least for now.
By Andrea Armer
We have been diligently working on a follow-up study to the human milk study that was conducted from 2009 to 2011. The original study involved bringing in babies at six months of age to see if the mom’s genotype for the gene that determines how fatty acids are used in the body, affect the baby’s recognition memory abilities. The follow-up study involved bringing those babies back into the lab at 26- and 38-months of age to assess their development since we saw them as babies.
We have thoroughly enjoyed playing with these energetic, independent, fun-loving toddlers. The children seemed to really love the memory game we played. In this game, the researcher showed them some pieces and asked them to explore for a few minutes. The researcher then took the pieces back and demonstrated how they work. The child was asked to imitate the sequence of actions immediately, after a 20-minute delay, and again after a 7-day delay. It has been fascinating to watch the toddlers and see just how much they remember.
Support for this study has been outstanding. Our moms are still very interested in seeing how their milk may affect their child’s development, and in contributing to our research. We have been very blessed to have had the opportunity to follow up with 121 moms and their toddlers. As we are wrapping up this follow-up study, we would like to thank all of those moms and toddlers who graciously donated their time and energy in support of the study. We realize how busy you are these days, and are grateful to you all!