Exploring associations between the gut microbiota and full-scale intelligence in preschool children

van de Wouw, Marcel; Rojas, Laura; Vaghef-Mehrabani, Elnaz; Wang, Yanan; Fichter, Chloe; Workentine, Matthew L.; Dewey, Deborah; Arrieta, Marie-Claire; Reimer, Raylene A.; Tomfohr-Madsen, Lianne; Giesbrecht, Gerald F.

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137357

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…On the contrary, Carlson et al, found higher alpha diversity at one year of age related to worse cognition at two years of age in typically developing toddlers (Carlson et al, 2017). Additionally, a recent paper from van de Wouw et al ( 2023) found evidence for a weak to modest cross-sectional relation between higher Shannon diversity and worse verbal comprehension in three-to four-year-old children (van de Wouw et al, 2023). Together, these findings illustrate the fact that we are yet to understand the potential impact of alpha diversity levels at different developmental stages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A longitudinal study of the gut microbiota during the first three years of life: Links with problem behavior and executive functions at preschool age

Willemsen,

Ou,

Belzer

et al. 2023

Dev Psychopathol

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Early life is a sensitive period when microbiota-gut-brain interactions may have important impact on development. This study investigated the associations of the gut microbiota in the first three years of life (two, six, and 12 weeks, and one and three years) with problem behavior and executive functions in N = 64 three-year-old children. Higher relative abundance of Streptococcus at the age of two weeks, as well as its trajectory over time (including ages two, six and 12 weeks, and one and three years), was related to worse executive functions. Higher relative abundance of [Ruminococcus] torques group at the age of three years, as well as its trajectory from one to three years, was associated with less internalizing behavior. Besides, several robust age-specific associations were identified: higher Bifidobacterium relative abundance (age three years) was associated with more internalizing and externalizing issues; higher Blautia relative abundance (age three years) was linked to less internalizing behavior; and increased relative abundance of an unidentified Enterobacteriaceae genus (age two weeks) was related to more externalizing behavior. Our findings provide important longitudinal evidence that early-life gut microbiota may be linked to behavioral and cognitive development in low-risk children.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A longitudinal study of the gut microbiota during the first three years of life: Links with problem behavior and executive functions at preschool age

Willemsen,

Ou,

Belzer

et al. 2023

Dev Psychopathol

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The associations between gut microbiota and fecal metabolites with intelligence quotient in preschoolers

Long,

Chen,

Huang

et al. 2024

BMC Microbiol

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Background The awareness of the association between the gut microbiota and human intelligence levels is increasing, but the findings are inconsistent. Furthermore, few research have explored the potential role of gut microbial metabolites in this association. This study aimed to investigate the associations of the gut microbiota and fecal metabolome with intelligence quotient (IQ) in preschoolers. Methods The 16 S rRNA sequencing and widely targeted metabolomics were applied to analyze the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites of 150 children aged 3–6 years. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) was used to assess the cognitive competence. Results The observed species index, gut microbiome health index, and microbial dysbiosis index presented significant differences between children with full-scale IQ (FSIQ) below the borderline (G1) and those with average or above-average (all P < 0.05). The abundance of Acinetobacter , Blautia , Faecalibacterium , Prevotella_9 , Subdoligranulum , Collinsella , Dialister , Holdemanella , and Methanobrevibacter was significantly associated with preschooler’s WPPSI-IV scores ( P < 0.05). In all, 87 differential metabolites were identified, mainly including amino acid and its metabolites, fatty acyl, and benzene and substituted derivatives. The differential fecal metabolites carnitine C20:1-OH, 4-hydroxydebrisoquine, pantothenol, creatine, N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) dodecanamide, FFA(20:5), zerumbone, (R)-(-)-2-phenylpropionic acid, M-toluene acetic acid, trans-cinnamaldehyde, isonicotinic acid, val-arg, traumatin, and 3-methyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde were significantly associated with the preschooler’s WPPSI-IV scores ( P < 0.05). The combination of Acinetobacter , Isonicotinic acid, and 3-methyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehydenine may demonstrate increased discriminatory power for preschoolers in G1. Conclusion This study reveals a potential association between gut microbiome and metabolites with IQ in preschoolers, providing new directions for future research and practical applications. However, due to limitations such as the small sample size, unclear causality, and the complexity of metabolites, more validation studies are still needed to further elucidate the mechanisms and stability of these associations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-024-03579-9.

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Characterization of the gut microbiota and fecal and blood metabolomes under various factors in urban children from Northwest China

Yang,

Chen,

Gao

et al. 2024

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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IntroductionChildren have regional dynamics in the gut microbiota development trajectory. Hitherto, the features and influencing factors of the gut microbiota and fecal and plasma metabolites in children from Northwest China remain unclear.MethodsShotgun metagenomic sequencing and untargeted metabolomics were performed on 100 healthy volunteers aged 2-12 years.ResultsAge, body mass index (BMI), regular physical exercise (RPE), and delivery mode (DM) significantly affect gut microbiota and metabolites. Lactobacillus, Butyricimonas, Prevotella, Alistipes, and predicted pathway propanoate production were significantly increased with age while Bifidobacterium breve, B. animalis, B. pseudocatenulatum, Streptococcus infantis, and carbohydrate degradation were decreased. Fecal metabolome revealed that the metabolism of caffeine, amino acids, and lipid significantly increased with age while galactose metabolism decreased. Noticeably, BMI was positively associated with pathogens including Erysipelatoclostridium ramosum, Parabacteroides distasonis, Ruminococcus gnavus, and amino acid metabolism but negatively associated with beneficial Akkermansia muciniphila, Alistipes finegoldii, Eubacterium ramulus, and caffeine metabolism. RPE has increased probiotic Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Anaerostipes hadrus, acetate and lactate production, and major nutrient metabolism in gut and plasma, but decreased pathobiont Bilophila wadsworthia, taurine degradation, and pentose phosphate pathway. Interestingly, DM affects the gut microbiota and metabolites throughout the whole childhood. Bifidobacterium animalis, Lactobacillus mucosae, L. ruminis, primary bile acid, and neomycin biosynthesis were enriched in eutocia, while anti-inflammatory Anaerofustis stercorihominis, Agathobaculum butyriciproducens, Collinsella intestinalis, and pathogenic Streptococcus salivarius, Catabacter hongkongensis, and amino acid metabolism were enriched in Cesarean section children.DiscussionOur results provided theoretical and data foundation for the gut microbiota and metabolites in preadolescent children’s growth and development in Northwest China.

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Exploring associations between the gut microbiota and full-scale intelligence in preschool children

Cited by 3 publications

References 50 publications

A longitudinal study of the gut microbiota during the first three years of life: Links with problem behavior and executive functions at preschool age

A longitudinal study of the gut microbiota during the first three years of life: Links with problem behavior and executive functions at preschool age

The associations between gut microbiota and fecal metabolites with intelligence quotient in preschoolers

Characterization of the gut microbiota and fecal and blood metabolomes under various factors in urban children from Northwest China

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