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Co-development of gut microbial metabolism and visual neural circuitry in human infants

Bonham, K.; Bottino, G. F.; Margolis, E. T.; Patel, F.; Zieff, M.; McCann, S. H.; Donald, K. A.; Gabard-Durnam, L. J.; Klepac-Ceraj, V.

2024-07-24 neurology
10.1101/2024.07.24.24310884 medRxiv
Show abstract

Infancy is a time of elevated neuroplasticity supporting rapid brain and sensory development. The gut microbiome, also undergoing extensive developmental changes in early life, may influence brain development through metabolism of neuroactive compounds. Here, we leverage longitudinal data from 194 infants across the first 18 months of life to show that microbial genes encoding enzymes that metabolize molecules playing a key role in modulating early neuroplasticity are associated with visual cortical neurodevelopment, measured by the Visual-Evoked Potential (VEP). Neuroactive compounds included neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate, the amino acid tryptophan, and short-chain fatty acids involved in myelination, including acetate and butyrate. Microbial gene sets around 4 months of age were strongly associated with the VEP from around 9 to 14 months of age and showed more associations than concurrently measured gene sets, suggesting microbial metabolism in early life may affect subsequent neural plasticity and development.

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