Associations of cord blood biomarkers with infant colic and excessive crying
Elisabeth M Simonin1,2, Karen M Switkowski3,4, Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman3
1Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
Insights
Infant colic may be predicted by specific cord blood biomarkers, including trans fatty acids and certain bacteria. Most immune and neurological biomarkers showed no association, suggesting colic markers may appear later in infancy.
Area of Science:
- Gut-brain interaction
- Infant health
- Microbiome research
Background:
- Infant colic is a common disorder of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) linked to adverse outcomes, with no current diagnostic biomarkers.
- It is characterized by unsoothable crying, potentially involving microbial, immune, and neurological dysregulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between cord blood biomarkers at birth and parent-reported infant colic and excessive crying at 6 months.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from Project Viva, a pre-birth cohort in the greater Boston, MA area (infants born 1999-2002).
- Analyzed cord blood biomarkers in relation to colic and excessive crying in 405 infants.
Main Results:
- Higher trans fatty acids and increased *Gammaproteobacteria* abundance in cord blood were associated with colic and excessive crying.
- Most assessed cord blood inflammatory, immune, and neurological biomarkers showed no association with colic or excessive crying.
Conclusions:
- Trans fatty acids and *Gammaproteobacteria* signatures in cord blood are potential candidate predictors for infant colic.
- The lack of association with most immune/neurological biomarkers suggests colic predictors may manifest closer to clinical presentation.
Introduction:
There are currently no known biomarkers associated with the diagnosis of infant colic, a common early disorder of gut brain interaction (DGBI) that has been found to predict adverse health outcomes, including atopy, migraines and other DGBIs. Infant colic manifests as unsoothable crying and is perceived to be associated with abdominal pain, differentiating it from other crying behaviors. Prior studies have postulated it may involve microbial dysbiosis as well as immunological and neurological dysregulation. The aim of our study was to investigate the associations of cord blood biomarkers at birth with parent reports of colic and excessive crying behaviors at 6 months of age.
Methods:
We used available data from Project Viva a pre-birth cohort based in the greater Boston, MA area. All infants were born between 1999 and 2002.
Results:
Among participants with information on infant colic and cord blood biomarkers (n = 405), we found higher trans fatty acids and an increased abundance of Gammaproteobacteria signature in cord blood from infants with colic and those with excessive crying without colic, compared to those unaffected by colic. The majority of inflammatory and immune system cord blood biomarkers previously measured, including metabolites and cytokine stimulation, showed no association with either colic or excessive crying.
Discussion:
This exploratory study examined cord blood biomarkers of inflammation or immune dysregulation to support the underlying mechanism of infant colic, and identified trans fatty acid levels and Gammaproteobacteria microbial signatures as possible candidate predictors. On the other hand, we also found a lack of association with most of the cord blood immune and neurological biomarkers that we assessed. In turn, we propose that colic biomarkers may be present closer to its manifestation as a clinical condition of early infancy.
