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Poster #60 - Associations between Children’s Gut Microbiota, Executive Function, Attachment and Temperament

Fri, March 22, 7:45 to 9:15am, Baltimore Convention Center, Floor: Level 1, Exhibit Hall B

Integrative Statement

INTRODUCTION: Documenting the impact of the microbiome-gut-brain-axis (MGBA) on cognition, emotion, and regulatory processes is an important frontier in developmental science. In child samples, alterations in intestinal microbiota are consistently reported in children with autism spectrum disorders (Li et al., 2017), and a few studies reveal associations between phylogenetic diversity, temperament (Christian et al., 2015), and learning outcomes (Carlson et al., 2017). However, current understanding of the MGBA has been primarily informed by experimental paradigms with animals leaving the structure and full impact of the MGBA on human cognition and emotion undiscovered. This study explored associations between children’s gut microbiota, executive function (EF), and two developmental phenomena known to impact bio-behavioral regulation (attachment and temperament).
METHOD: The analysis sample was drawn from the Strong Kids2 (SK2) longitudinal study of nutrition and child health (N = 451). At 6 weeks, 3, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months and 2 weeks after the introduction to solids (ITS), stool samples are collected, and mothers complete surveys. In 110 families, home observations were conducted at 18-24 months to assess child attachment security. Mothers completed validated measures of their children’s EF (BRIEF-P) and temperament (IBQ-R). Using quantitative PCR, the absolute abundance (log copies per gram of feces) of two genera (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus) and one species (Clostridium perfringens), natural inhabitants of the infant intestinal microbiota, was obtained in a sample at 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, ITS and 1 year (Table 1).
RESULTS: Higher abundance of Bifidobacterium after ITS was associated with fewer Planning/Organizing (r (30) = -.47, p = .006) and Global EF problems (r (29) = -.38, p = .033) at 24 months. Children with higher counts of Lactobacillus at 1 year also had fewer subsequent Inhibitory Control difficulties (r (58)= -.27, p = .038). Fecal counts of C. perfringens at 1 week were associated with maternal reports of Orienting Attention at 3 months (rs (80) = .24, p = .034), and fewer Working Memory problems at 24 months (rs (66) = -28, p = .020). Prevalence after ITS was associated with fewer child EF problems across all but one BRIEF-P subscale (Spearman correlations ranging from -.30 to -.50; ps from <.000 to .048). Observed attachment was positively correlated with log counts of Bifidobacterium at 12 months (r (10) = .59, p = .041). A Mann-Whitney test revealed that children who had detectable levels of Lactobacillus at 12 months were more likely to seek proximity to caregivers when needed than children without detectable levels (Figure 1). Findings from the larger sample will include longitudinal examination of microbial composition and diversity by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and additional child and parenting measures.
CONCLUSIONS: Early prevalence of beneficial bacteria is associated with subsequent EF capacities and attachment behavior, suggesting that intestinal Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus may impact neurodevelopment and emotion processes. Associations found with C. perfringens were not expected, and require further analysis. These findings represent an important step toward discovering links between the gut microbiota, neurodevelopment, and behavioral phenotypes in human samples.

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