Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
BMC Pediatr. 2019 Jul 22;19(1):246. doi: 10.1186/s12887-019-1630-4.
The microbial population of the human gut (the gut microbiome) is an integral cog in the bidirectional communication axis that exists between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. African American infants disproportionately experience multiple, overlapping vulnerabilities such as preterm birth and formula rather than breast feeding that may disrupt the development of the infant microbiome. African American infants also are more likely to have mothers affected by chronic stress both pre- and post-natally. Perhaps relatedly, African American offspring are disproportionately affected by neurodevelopmental delays. Taken together, these findings suggest that one important mechanism that may link prenatal and postnatal stress and African American infant brain development is the composition of the infant microbiome.
In our ongoing longitudinal study, Maternal Stress and the Gut-Brain Axis in African American Infants (R01MD009746), we investigate associations between maternal prenatal and postnatal stress and the composition of the infant gut microbiome, in relation to cognitive and social-emotional development. We aim to recruit 300 African American mother-infant dyads, contingent on the mother's previous participation in an associated prenatal cohort study: Biobehavioral Determinants of the Microbiome and Preterm Birth in Black Women (R01NR014800). Following enrollment, we assess infants at 1-week, and 3-, 6-, 12-and 18-months to collect: standardized assessments of infant neurocognitive and social-emotional development; questionnaire measures of infant feeding and health; observational data on maternal-infant interactions; maternal reports of postnatal stress; blood and saliva samples to evaluate maternal and infant psychoneuroimmunologic (PNI) function; and infant stool samples to characterize acquisition and trajectory of gut microbiome composition. Genetic variants of the major histocompatibility complex that may influence gut microbiome composition are also being evaluated.
This rich data set will allow future consideration of risk and protective factors that influence neurodevelopment in African American infants who are exposed to varying levels of prenatal and early life stress. Evidence for a mechanistic role of the microbiome would provide a framework for future clinical evaluations of preventative interventions (e.g., probiotics, culturally-appropriate breastfeeding campaigns) that could potentially improve the health and development of African American children in infancy and across the lifespan.
人类肠道中的微生物群（肠道微生物组）是胃肠道和中枢神经系统之间双向交流轴的一个重要组成部分。非裔美国婴儿不成比例地面临多种重叠的脆弱性，例如早产和配方奶喂养而不是母乳喂养，这可能会破坏婴儿微生物组的发育。非裔美国婴儿的母亲在产前和产后也更容易受到慢性压力的影响。也许相关的是，非裔美国后代受到神经发育迟缓的影响不成比例。综上所述，这些发现表明，可能将产前和产后压力与非裔美国婴儿大脑发育联系起来的一个重要机制是婴儿微生物组的组成。
在我们正在进行的纵向研究中，“非裔美国婴儿的母亲压力和肠道-大脑轴”（R01MD009746），我们调查了母亲产前和产后压力与婴儿肠道微生物组组成之间的关联，以及与认知和社会情感发展的关系。我们的目标是招募 300 名非裔美国母婴二人组，前提是母亲之前参加了一个相关的产前队列研究：“黑人妇女微生物组和早产的生物行为决定因素”（R01NR014800）。入组后，我们在 1 周、3 个月、6 个月、12 个月和 18 个月时评估婴儿，以收集：婴儿神经认知和社会情感发展的标准化评估；婴儿喂养和健康的问卷测量；母婴互动的观察数据；母亲产后压力报告；血液和唾液样本以评估母婴心理神经免疫学（PNI）功能；以及婴儿粪便样本以描述肠道微生物组组成的获得和轨迹。还评估了可能影响肠道微生物组组成的主要组织相容性复合体的遗传变异。
这个丰富的数据集将允许未来考虑影响暴露于不同水平产前和生命早期压力的非裔美国婴儿神经发育的风险和保护因素。微生物组的机制作用证据将为未来临床评估预防干预措施（例如益生菌、文化上适当的母乳喂养运动）提供框架，这些措施可能会改善非裔美国儿童在婴儿期和整个生命周期的健康和发育。
