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Bonham KS, Fahur Bottino G, McCann SH, Beauchemin J, Weisse E, Barry F, Cano Lorente R, Huttenhower C, Bruchhage M, D’Sa V, Deoni S, Klepac-Ceraj V. Gut-resident microorganisms and their genes are associated with cognition and neuroanatomy in children. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi0497. [PMID: 38134274 PMCID: PMC10745691 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi0497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Emerging evidence implicates gut microbial metabolism in neurodevelopmental disorders, but its influence on typical neurodevelopment has not been explored in detail. We investigated the relationship between the microbiome and neuroanatomy and cognition of 381 healthy children, demonstrating that differences in microbial taxa and genes are associated with overall cognitive function and the size of brain regions. Using a combination of statistical and machine learning models, we showed that species including Alistipes obesi, Blautia wexlerae, and Ruminococcus gnavus were enriched or depleted in children with higher cognitive function scores. Microbial metabolism of short-chain fatty acids was also associated with cognitive function. In addition, machine models were able to predict the volume of brain regions from microbial profiles, and taxa that were important in predicting cognitive function were also important for predicting individual brain regions and specific subscales of cognitive function. These findings provide potential biomarkers of neurocognitive development and may enable development of targets for early detection and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin S. Bonham
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Elizabeth Weisse
- Department of Psychology, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
| | | | | | | | - Curtis Huttenhower
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Associate Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Muriel Bruchhage
- Department of Psychology, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Viren D’Sa
- Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Sean Deoni
- Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Vanja Klepac-Ceraj
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
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