Neurobiological and neurocognitive consequences of diverse microbiome functional trajectories
There is compelling evidence, particularly from pre-clinical studies, for a critical role of the maternal and infant gut microbiome in early postnatal neurodevelopment. Temporal milestones in postnatal infant gut microbiome development align with changes in early infant brain development, suggesting a functional relationship between the gut-brain axis. There is reliable evidence linking maternal prenatal factors such as prenatal anxiety to the vaginal and gut microbiome as well as to child neurodevelopment. This proposal will test the hypothesis that infant neurocognitive development is shaped by mother-to-infant microbiome transfer and postnatal development and biosynthesis of microbiota-derived neuroactive metabolites, with the functional characteristics of this relationship shaped by prenatal anxiety.