Breast milk is more than just food: it contains special components that help shape a baby’s immune system, gut health, and brain development. One important group of these components are human milk sugars(HMOs), which are unique sugars that feed beneficial gut bacteria and, through them, influence growth, emotions, and learning. The types and amounts of these sugars change between mothers and over time, allowing breast milk to adapt to a baby’s needs. In this dissertation, we studied whether different HMOs work better together than alone. In a long-term study with rats, young animals were given different combinations of HMOs. Those that received a mix of three types showed better memory, lower anxiety-like behaviour, and healthier brain development later in life. The effects differed between males and females and between brain regions, showing that these milk sugars play a surprisingly powerful role in how the brain develops.
Sylvia (1986) obtained her BSc in Psychology cum laude from Tilburg University in 2014 and her Research Master’s in Cognitive Neuroscience cum laude from Radboud University in 2019. After several research internships, she began her PhD in 2019, studying how specific human milk sugars from breast milk influence brain development, cognition, and emotional maturation in rodents.