Carol J. Lammi-Keefe

Carol J. Lammi-Keefe, Ph.D., Professor of Nutrition and University Research Fellow at the University of Connecticut, has devoted two decades to research in maternal-fetal lipid nutrition. In late 2002 she published a seminal paper showing an association between maternal docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, levels and maturity of neonatal sleep patterning in human infants. The underlying import of this finding is that maturity of sleep patterning in infants is related to maturity of the central nervous system.

Dr. Lammi-Keefe's work has provided new courses for research in fetal development in a couple of different ways. First, she has focused attention on the here-to-fore overlooked period of intrauterine development by publishing the first evidence that early infant behavior is affected positively by intrauterine DHA exposure.That observation has led to an interest in the role of DHA status during fetal life in addition to the postnatal period.Second, Dr. Lammi-Keefe's work has been influential in providing evidence that a new behavioral domain, i.e., sleep patterning, is influenced by maternal DHA status. As behavioral domains are understood to be influenced by changes in brain composition, it is reasonable to postulate that a fatty acid that is found in high concentrations in neurons, i.e., DHA, would influence all behavioral domains.owever, most previous work on DHA and infant development has been centered on the postnatal period, and not the prenatal period, and has focused on attention or sensory outcomes.

Specific to the Center for Culture, Health and Human Development, Dr. Lammi-Keefe's work is a food complement to research being conducted by Drs. Harkness and Super (School of Fmaily Studies) on early development of state control. She provides consultation to this project regarding sleep in the Dutch population; specifically looking at the dietary factors that may relate to the findings.

Dr. Lammi-Keefe has a keen interest in infant development as a continuum and how nutrition (esp. DHA) relates to this development. In summary, her work has been seminal and has changed the way researchers and clinicians look at the importance of lipid nutrition during the prenatal period.

Selected Publications

Lammi-Keefe, C.J., Thoman, E.B., Cheruku, S.R., MontgomeryDowns, H.E., Farkas, S.L., Loosemore, E.D., DeMare, C.J., Keplinger, M.R., Mutungi, G., Judge, M.P. and Ibarrola, B. (in press). Sleep patterns of infants immediately after birth reflect DHA, status and NS maturity. Proc.Internatl. Congress Essen.Fatty Acids and Eicosanoids.

Cheruku, S, Montgomery-Downs, H.E., Farkas, S.L., Thoman, E.B., Lammi-Keefe, C.J. (2002). Higher maternal docosahexaenoic acid concentration is associated with more mature neonatal sleep patterning. Am.J.Clin.Nutr:76:608-613.

Wijendran, V., Bendel, R.B., Couch, S.C., Philipson, E.H., Cheruku, S., Lammi-Keefe, C.J.(2000). Fetal erythrocyte phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acids are altered in pregnancy complicated with gestational diabetes mellitus. Lipids, 35:927-931.