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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 2, 2025

Induction of Maternal Immune Activation in Mice at Mid-gestation Stage with Viral Mimic PolyI:C

Induction of Maternal Immune Activation in Mice at Mid-gestation Stage with Viral Mimic PolyI:C

Published on: March 25, 2016

Maternal prenatal gut microbiota composition predicts child behaviour.

Samantha L Dawson¹, Martin O'Hely¹, Felice N Jacka²

¹Deakin University, IMPACT - the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.

|June 7, 2021

Summary

Maternal prenatal gut microbiota diversity impacts child behavior. Higher diversity in mothers is linked to fewer internalizing behaviors in children, suggesting a gut-brain connection during early development.

Keywords:

Behaviour Children Diet Gut-brain axis Microbiota Pregnancy

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Last Updated: Nov 2, 2025

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Published on: March 25, 2016

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Published on: January 27, 2019

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Published on: June 2, 2022

Area of Science:

Microbiome research
Developmental psychology
Human gut microbiome

Background:

Animal studies suggest maternal gut microbiota influences offspring brain development and behavior.
No human studies have previously linked maternal prenatal gut microbiota to early childhood behavioral outcomes.
This study investigated the relationship between maternal prenatal gut microbiota, diet, and child behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the association between maternal fecal microbiota composition during pregnancy and childhood behavioral outcomes.
To explore the role of prenatal diet as a potential mediator in this relationship.
To provide human evidence supporting the gut-brain axis in early development.

Main Methods:

A longitudinal cohort study included 213 mothers and 215 children.
Maternal fecal samples were collected in the third trimester for 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to analyze microbiota.
Child behavior was assessed at age two using the Childhood Behavior Checklist, with adjustments for potential confounders.

Main Results:

Maternal gut microbiota alpha diversity in the third trimester predicted lower internalizing behaviors in children at age two.
Abundance of butyrate-producing families (Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae) was higher in mothers of children with normative behavior.
A healthy prenatal diet indirectly correlated with reduced child internalizing behaviors through increased maternal microbiota diversity.

Conclusions:

Maternal prenatal gut microbiota composition is associated with offspring behavior, supporting findings from murine studies.
These results underscore the importance of the maternal gut microbiome in early life brain development.
Further research is warranted to understand the mechanisms underlying the prenatal gut microbiota's influence on child behavior.