Association between Gut Microbiota and Infant’s Temperament in the First Year of Life in a Chinese Birth Cohort

Abstract

Infant temperament characteristics play a critical role in children’s developmental pathways and can predict adulthood psychopathology. The diversity and composition of the gut microbiota are associated with human temperament in both adults and young children. However, the relationship between the gut microbiota and temperament in 12-month-old infants is rarely studied; this developmental period is when temperament reaches a relatively stable stage. We used high-throughput sequencing methods to explore whether temperament characteristics were associated with gut microbiota diversity and composition. Infants’ fecal samples were collected at 12 months of age for the gut microbiota analysis. Based on the primary caregivers’ reports, infants’ temperaments were measured using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-revised (IBQ-R). This study included 51 infants, including 20 boys and 31 girls, with a mean age of 12.25 months. Results showed that soothability was positively correlated with maternal education level (β = 0.29, p = 0.043, adjust p = 0.025) and the abundance of Bifidobacterium genera (β = 0.62, p = 0.004, adjust p = 0.002). Conversely, cuddliness was negatively correlated with the abundance of Hungatella genera. There was no significant difference in temperament based on gender. This study demonstrated that gut microbiota composition was associated with temperament in 12-month-old infants. These results point to the importance of gut microbiota balance. Future studies on the mechanisms behind the gut microbiota affecting temperament are warranted.

Development of the infant gut microbiome predicts temperament across the first year of life

“…To our knowledge, only two studies have investigated associations between composition of the gut microbiome and temperament in human infants, and one study in toddlers. Wang et al (2020) found that an abundance of the genus Bifidobacterium was positively associated with soothability and a relative abundance of Hungatella was negatively associated with cuddliness in 12-month-old infants. In a subcohort from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Aatsinki et al (2019) found that higher abundances of Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus and a lower abundance of Atopobium at age 2.5 months were associated with greater surgency/extraversion scores, measured using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R), in 6-month-old infants.…”

Role of Bifidobacteria on Infant Health

“…We are still beginning to understand the role that bifidobacteria could play in neurological development and the temperament and behavior in early infancy. In two recent observational studies carried out in infants under one year of age, the authors reported traits, such as soothability and surgency (positive emotionality), as being associated with a higher relative abundance of the genus Bifidobacterium in the gut microbiota [141,142]. In addition, another study identified two bifidobacterial species related to negative emotionality (B. pseudocatenulatum) and regulation/orienting (B. pseudocatenulatum and B. catenulatum) temperamental domains, with both of these traits being marked by an enrichment of the genus Bifidobacterium [143].…”

Kaitan Antara Gangguan Perkembangan dan Perilaku Anak dengan Gut-Brain Axis

“…Ketenangan berkaitan erat dengan tingginya jumlah mikrobiota dari genus Bifidobacterium dan rendahnya mikrobiota dari genus Hungatella. [17] Gambar 3. Faktor yang mempengaruhi mikrobiota saluran cerna saat dalam rahim sampai bayi [18] Mikrobiota bayi yang baru lahir memiliki peranan penting dalam menjaga kondisi kesehatan saat dewasa, yang komposisinya dipengaruhi oleh pertukaran mikrobiota antara ibu dan janin saat masih dalam kandungan.…”