Evaluation of pig brain developmental patterns and the influence of dietary polar lipids on pig development

Pigs have been strong preclinical models especially in research examining human nutrition and brain development due to their similarities to humans in gastrointestinal development and brain morphology. As such, the neonatal pig has been suggested to be a great model for the neonatal human and due to its size, it has been utilized in magnetic resonance imaging to non-invasively examine neurodevelopment. Thus, pigs have played a large role in exploring the developmental outcomes of regularly improved infant formulas. Although the pig is a noteworthy animal model, it is not used as greatly as the rodent due to it being larger in size thus requiring more living space and caretaking than rodent models. Hence, certain tools, resources, and general knowledge of the pig are outdated or have not been developed. Thus, the work in this dissertation set out to update neuroimaging resources to provide normative neurodevelopmental data for the pig and elucidate the potential influence of artificially rearing pigs (rather than sow-rearing pigs) on development and behavior. Additionally, the pig was used to examine the effects of dietary milk fat globule membrane and milk polar lipids on neurodevelopment and recognition memory, nutrients of interest for incorporation into infant formula. Herein, we report that updated neuroimaging resources for the pig were developed and artificial rearing presented minimal differences in long-term developmental outcomes than sow-rearing. Our work also indicates that early-life supplementation of milk fat globule membrane or polar lipids is well-tolerated and supports growth and dietary intake similarly to diets without supplementation. Limited differences were noted in brain macrostructure and microstructural development as well as recognition memory. The results from this work should inform future research of normal pig brain development and provide insight into the few structural alterations in brain development and differences in behavior that resulted from milk fat globule membrane or polar lipid supplementation