summary: New research reveals the profound impact of the gut microbiome on cognitive function and brain structure in healthy children. A study that analyzed data from 381 children in the RESONANCE cohort identified specific microbial species associated with higher cognitive performance, while others were found to correlate with lower cognitive scores.
This study utilizes advanced machine learning models to demonstrate the potential of gut microbial profiles in predicting cognitive performance and brain development. This new study highlights the important role of the gut-brain-microbiome axis in early childhood development and opens the door to future interventions.
Important facts:
- The study found a correlation between certain gut microbial species and children's cognitive function.
- Advanced machine learning models have shown that gut microbial profiles can predict brain structure and cognitive performance.
- This study provides new understanding of the gut-brain-microbiome axis in normal neurocognitive development in healthy children.
sauce: wellesley college
Emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiome in cognitive outcomes and neurodevelopmental disorders, but the impact of gut microbial metabolism on typical neurodevelopment has not been investigated in detail. yeah.
Wellesley College researchers, in collaboration with other institutions, have demonstrated that differences in the gut microbiome are associated with overall cognitive function and brain structure in healthy children.
This study was published today scientific progress – is part of the National Institutes of Health-funded Environmental Impact on Child Health (ECHO) program.
This study examines this relationship in 381 healthy children from the Resonance Cohort in Providence, Rhode Island, providing new insights into early childhood development.
Key findings:
- This study revealed a relationship between the gut microbiome and cognitive function in children.Certain gut microbial species, e.g. Alistipes Obesi and Blautia wechslerae, associated with higher cognitive functions. On the contrary, the following species are Ruminococcus gnabus It is more common in children with lower cognitive scores.
- This study highlights the role of microbial genes, particularly those involved in the metabolism of neuroactive compounds such as short-chain fatty acids, in influencing cognitive performance.
- Advanced machine learning models have demonstrated the ability of gut microbial profiles to predict variations in brain structure and cognitive performance, highlighting the potential for early detection and intervention strategies in neurodevelopment.
- This study is an important first step in understanding the relationship between children's gut biomes and cognitive function. “This single-cohort study provides an interesting hypothesis that we hope to test in additional settings in the future,” said corresponding author Vanja Klepac-Ceraj.
What makes this study novel?
This study is the first to investigate the gut-brain-microbiome axis in normal neurocognitive development in healthy children. The integration of multivariable linear and machine learning models to analyze the complex relationship between gut microbiome profiles and neurodevelopment is innovative.
These models not only established a link between the gut microbiota and cognitive function, but also predicted future cognitive performance based on early microbial profiles.
Relevance to public health:
This discovery paves the way for the development of biomarkers for neurocognition and brain development.
This research could lead to early detection and intervention of developmental problems, potentially reducing long-term cognitive challenges. This highlights the importance of gut health in early childhood and suggests dietary and lifestyle considerations for parents and healthcare professionals.
Furthermore, this study is a first step in developing hypotheses that can be tested in experiments and animal models.
Wellesley College Contributions:
Wellesley College played a key role in this research. Her Klepac-Ceraj lab in the School of Biological Sciences provided significant expertise in microbiome analysis and cognitive assessment.
The study's lead author, Dr. Kevin Bonham, spearheaded the data analysis along with Dr. Guilherme Faffre-Bottino. The university's dedication to interdisciplinary collaboration helped conduct this complex research.
About this microbiome and brain development research news
author: stacey schmeidel
sauce: wellesley college
contact: Stacey Schmeidel – Wellesley College
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Open access.
“Resident gut microbes and their genes are associated with children's cognition and neuroanatomyWritten by Vanja Klepac-Ceraj et al. scientific progress
abstract
Resident gut microbes and their genes are associated with children's cognition and neuroanatomy
Emerging evidence suggests that gut bacterial metabolism is involved in neurodevelopmental disorders, but its impact on typical neurodevelopment has not been investigated in detail.
We investigated the relationship between the microbiome and neuroanatomy and cognition in 381 healthy children and found that differences in microbial taxa and genes were associated with overall cognitive function and brain region size. We have demonstrated that
Using a combination of statistical and machine learning models, we showed that the following species exist: Alistipes Obesi, Blautia wechsleraeand Ruminococcus gnabus They were enriched or decreased in children with higher cognitive function scores. Microbial metabolism of short-chain fatty acids was also associated with cognitive function.
Furthermore, mechanistic models can predict brain region volumes from microbial profiles, and taxa important for predicting cognitive function are also important for predicting individual brain regions and specific subscales of cognitive function. did.
These findings may provide potential biomarkers of neurocognitive development and enable the development of targets for early detection and intervention.
