Gut microbiota and brain development in early life

The gut microbiota play a crucial role in health and disease. Disruption to the gut microbiota has been linked with gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, asthma, obesity and even with brain function and health.

The gut is known as the ‘second brain’

The concept of the gut influencing the brain, and vice versa, has developed as the gut harbors a vast network of millions of neurons that send and receive messages, as well as respond to emotions. Perhaps that’s the reason why there is a wide integration of the ‘gut-brain’ concept into everyday vernacular, e.g. gut feelings, gut wrenching, gut instinct, gutted, gutsy, it takes guts, etc.

Although brain development and function appear to be modulated by changes in the gut microbiota, presumably via the gut-brain axis, the extent of this influence during very early life is unclear.

Researchers from University College Cork, the University of Groningen, Wageningen University, the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam and Nutricia Research, Utrecht and Singapore, reviewed the known associations between the gut microbiota and brain development and brain function in early life to better understand the potential mechanisms underlying this complex relationship. They also looked at how nutritional interventions can further modulate the microbiota and, ultimately, brain development and function.

Microbiota-gut-brain communication

Evidence reveals that microbes are able to regulate the bidirectional communication between the brain and gut. This complex microbiota-gut-brain communication is driven by a variety of pathways, including barrier function, hormonal and neural regulation (e.g. HPA or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), as well as immune and metabolic function (e.g. tryptophan metabolism).

Early life nutrition (e.g. early postnatal diet, fatty acids, prebiotics and probiotics) is an important modifiable factor that can shape both gut microbiota and brain development.

Understanding the complexity of the microbiota-gut-brain relationship and its specific window of opportunity is instrumental in devising nutritional strategies to promote and protect normal brain development and to reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders in early life.

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