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Published on: November 1, 2019
Perinatal Western-style diet exposure associated with altered sensory functional connectivity in infant Japanese
Samantha Papadakis1,2, Eric Feczko3,4, Julian S B Ramirez1
1Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Insights
Perinatal exposure to a Western-style diet may impact brain connectivity in infants, potentially contributing to sensory processing disorder (SPD). This study found differences in sensory network functional connectivity in macaques exposed to this diet.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with unclear causes.
- Prenatal environmental factors are crucial for neurodevelopment and may influence SPD.
- Western-style diets (WSD) during the perinatal period are hypothesized to contribute to SPD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of perinatal WSD exposure on neural correlates of SPD in Japanese macaques.
- To assess functional connectivity in sensory and emotional processing areas in early infancy.
Main Methods:
- Used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine functional connectivity in 4-month-old macaques.
- Employed a machine learning model to differentiate between diet groups based on functional connectivity patterns.
- Focused on connectivity within and between sensory and emotional processing networks.
Main Results:
- A machine learning model successfully predicted the perinatal diet group using functional connectivity data.
- Significant differences in functional connectivity were observed between diet groups, particularly within somatomotor, visual, and auditory networks.
- Primary motor cortex connectivity was the most affected neural correlate.
Conclusions:
- Perinatal WSD exposure alters functional connectivity in sensory processing areas relevant to SPD.
- These findings suggest a potential link between maternal diet and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes related to sensory processing.
- Early dietary interventions may be important for mitigating risks associated with SPD.
Abstract:
Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired sensory discrimination and responsivity. Although the causes and neural correlates of SPD remain poorly understood, prenatal influences should be considered, as the prenatal environment is strongly implicated in the progression of neurodevelopmental disorders. One factor hypothesized to promote SPD is perinatal Western-style diet (WSD) exposure. This study explored the effects of perinatal WSD exposure on the proposed neural correlates of SPD in Japanese macaques. Functional connectivity between sensory and emotional processing areas was assessed at 4 months of age using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). A machine learning model successfully predicted perinatal diet group based on functional connectivity strengths, indicating that differences in sensory connectivity exist between diet groups. Intra-somatomotor, visual-auditory, somatomotor-auditory, somatomotor-visual, and intra-visual network connections demonstrated the greatest differences between groups, with primary motor cortex connectivity being the most impacted. Connections to the amygdala were not major contributors to accurate model performance, but amygdala connectivity, especially to the somatomotor network, may still be a weak driver of model performance. These findings suggest that a proposed predictor of SPD, perinatal WSD exposure, impacts the functional connectivity of sensory processing areas relevant in SPD during early infancy.
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