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Microbial exposure at birth and the development of behavioral temperament during the first three years of childhood

Arthur Chortatos1, Maiju Pesonen2, Owen Thomas1

  • 1R&D Department, Division of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.

Development and Psychopathology
|October 16, 2024
PubMed

Insights

This study explored links between infant oral microbes and temperament. While no significant associations were found after corrections, preliminary results suggest potential connections between microbial diversity, antibiotic exposure, and early behavioral development.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiome research
  • Developmental psychology
  • Pediatric health

Background:

  • Neonate microbial exposure is increasingly recognized for its potential impact on early development.
  • Behavioral temperament emerges in infancy and childhood, influenced by various factors.
  • Understanding the microbiome-gut-brain axis is crucial for pediatric health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate associations between neonatal oral microbial profiles and behavioral temperament in children aged 1-3 years.
  • To explore how antibiotic use during birth might modify these associations.
  • To identify specific microbial genera potentially linked to temperament traits.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Kuopio Birth Cohort Study (n=335).
  • Assessed infant temperament using validated questionnaires.
  • Analyzed neonatal oral microbial communities via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, focusing on diversity metrics and abundant genera.
  • Compared results between infants with and without antibiotic exposure during birth.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant associations between microbial profiles and temperament were found after Bonferroni correction.
  • Pre-correction analyses suggested potential links: increased surgency associated with oral beta diversity in the antibiotic-exposed group.
  • A high abundance of Staphylococcus was preliminarily linked to increased surgency in the no-antibiotic group.

Conclusions:

  • While definitive links were not established, preliminary findings suggest a possible role for early microbial exposure and antibiotic use in shaping behavioral temperament.
  • Further research with larger cohorts and advanced analyses is warranted to confirm these potential associations.
  • This study highlights the complexity of the early-life microbiome's influence on neurodevelopment.

Keywords:
infant behavioral temperamentintrapartum antibioticsmicrobiota

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