The intestinal bacteria in pregnant women affect the brain development of the fetus.

original title: See also the "intestinal-brain" heavy research! Nature: Pregnant women's intestinal tracts are affecting fetal brain developmentIn a new study published in Nature on September 24th, a team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) showed that billions of microbes in the mother's gut regulate key metabolites that are critical to the healthy development of the fetus' brain.Although the maternal gut microbiome is associated with abnormal brain function and behavior in its offspring (usually caused by infection, a high-fat diet, or pregnancy stress), so far scientists do not know whether they also affect the neurodevelopment of the fetus during critical prenatal periods., the team at the Elaine Hsiao Laboratory in UCLA's Department of Integrated Biology and Physiology trained mice that killed the gut microbiome with antibiotics, as well as sterile mice. They then studied how maternal microbiome loss and selective reconstruction of the microbiome affected the neurodevelopment of fetuses in mice.Helen Vuong, lead author of thestudy and a postdoctoral researcher, said: The reduction of the maternal gut microbiome disrupts the development of the fetus' brain and alters the genes that are turned on in the fetal brain, including many genes involved in the formation of new axons of neurons." Theare tiny nerve fibers that connect neurons and enable them to communicate.researchers have observed a decrease in the number and length of axons that connect the cerebral and cortical layers in particular.
. "These axons are particularly important for the ability to perceive the environment," Vuong said. Consistently, the offspring of pregnant mice lacking a gut microbiome have some sensory behavior defects. Thethat the maternal gut microbiome can promote healthy development by regulating the metabolites that enter the fetal brain.. "When we measured maternal and fetal blood, as well as the type and level of molecules in the fetal brain, we found that specific metabolites are often reduced or missing when the gut bacteria are lacking during pregnancy," Vuong said. After , the researchers cultured neurons with these key metabolites and introduced them into pregnant mice with depleted microbiomes.. "When we grow neurons in the presence of these metabolites, they grow longer and more axons," Vuong said. When we added key metabolites to pregnant mice, levels of metabolites in their embryonic brains were restored and damage to axons and offspring behavior was prevented. " gut microbiome really has incredible abilities to regulate not only many bio-chemicals in pregnant mothers, but also the bio-chemicals in developing offspring and their brains.new study also identifies metabolites that promote axon formation.results suggest that the maternal gut microbiome may signal developing brain neurons through microbial-regulated metabolites, which promote axons in the fetal pasumal cortical layer, at least in mice., author of the study and an assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, said the applicability of the findings to humans was unclear.we don't know if these findings apply to humans and how they can be applied to humans," she said. However, many neurodevelopmental disorders are thought to be caused by genetic and environmental risk factors experienced during pregnancy. Our research suggests that intestinal bacteria during pregnancy should also be considered and further studied, as this not only affects the health of the mother, but may also affect the health of future generations. Linkpaper:
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