Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38574728/)

These scientists have been studying a group of kids since they were born for more than 20 years to figure out what things might be linked to having a neurodevelopmental disorder (ND), which is a condition that affects how the brain develops. They asked the kids' parents lots of questions when the kids were babies and kept track of things like infections, antibiotics, stress, and family history.

The scientists also looked at different things in the kids' bodies like the types of molecules in their blood, their genes, the bacteria in their guts, and the molecules in their poop. They found that out of the 16,440 kids they studied in Sweden, 1,197 of them ended up having a neurodevelopmental disorder.

They discovered that there were some important connections between the bacteria in the kids' bodies and their chances of getting a neurodevelopmental disorder in the future. They also saw that some kids who had mood or stomach problems when they were very young were more likely to develop a neurodevelopmental disorder later on.

The scientists think that problems with the immune system and how the body uses energy might play a role in these disorders, especially when combined with stress, infections, and antibiotics early in life. By looking at all these different things in the kids' bodies and their early experiences, the scientists hope to be able to predict and help kids with neurodevelopmental disorders sooner.

Ahrens AP., Hyotylainen T., Petrone JR., Igelstrom K., George CD., Garrett TJ., Oresic M., Triplett EW., Ludvigsson J. Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Cell. 2024 Mar 27:S0092-8674(24)00238-1. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.035.