Advances in Early Nutrition and Neurodevelopment of Preterm Infants

Dear Colleagues,

Background and History of this Topic:
Preterm birth affects infant neurodevelopment due to altered critical brain growth in the third trimester. The importance of early nutrition in influencing neurodevelopmental outcomes in these vulnerable infants is increasingly recognised. Historically, nutritional strategies focused primarily on survival and weight gain. However, in recent decades, the focus has shifted towards optimising growth quality, brain development, and long-term cognitive function.

Aim and Scope of the Special Issue:
The aim of this Special Issue is to present recent progress in early nutritional interventions for preterm infants, as well as their impact on brain development. It explores how specific nutrients, feeding strategies and clinical practices influence neurological outcomes.

Cutting-edge Research:
We are seeking contributions that address innovative approaches, such as the composition of parenteral nutrition, micronutrients, human milk fortification, early enteral nutrition, and the use of probiotics and microbiome-targeted strategies. Studies employing neuroimaging, biomarkers or longitudinal developmental follow-up are particularly welcome.

What Kind of Papers We Are Soliciting:
We invite submissions of original research articles, clinical trials, reviews and expert commentaries on the subject of early nutrition and neurodevelopment in preterm infants. We welcome multidisciplinary work from the fields of neonatology, nutrition, neuroscience, and developmental paediatrics.

Dr. Jean-Baptiste Muller
Dr. Anne Frondas
Dr. Laure Simon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.