Nutritive sucking connects with different EEG responses in different ages. Non-nutritive sucking has only minor and non-significant effects.
In the newborn, there is a significant decline in the EEG power after nutritive sucking, which is connected with alertness decline and sleep induction.
The sucking-related EEG changes in the neonatal time disappear completely toward the age of 12 weeks.
At 24 weeks, nutritive sucking connects with a significant increase in affect-related theta activity in the EEG.
Our findings have relevance for the development of the feeding and sleep-wake cycles and the affective-cognitive development of the infant.