Early life predictors of brain development at term-equivalent age in infants born across the gestational age spectrum

NeuroImage ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 185 ◽  
pp. 813-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanne K. Thompson ◽  
Claire E. Kelly ◽  
Jian Chen ◽  
Richard Beare ◽  
Bonnie Alexander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Equivalent Age

scholarly journals Early-Life Development of the Bifidobacterial Community in the Infant Gut

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3382
Author(s):  
Silvia Saturio ◽  
Alicja M. Nogacka ◽  
Marta Suárez ◽  
Nuria Fernández ◽  
Laura Mantecón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Its Region ◽  
23S Rrna ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Quantitative Changes ◽  
The Impact

The establishment of the gut microbiota poses implications for short and long-term health. Bifidobacterium is an important taxon in early life, being one of the most abundant genera in the infant intestinal microbiota and carrying out key functions for maintaining host-homeostasis. Recent metagenomic studies have shown that different factors, such as gestational age, delivery mode, or feeding habits, affect the gut microbiota establishment at high phylogenetic levels. However, their impact on the specific bifidobacterial populations is not yet well understood. Here we studied the impact of these factors on the different Bifidobacterium species and subspecies at both the quantitative and qualitative levels. Fecal samples were taken from 85 neonates at 2, 10, 30, 90 days of life, and the relative proportions of the different bifidobacterial populations were assessed by 16S rRNA–23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Absolute levels of the main species were determined by q-PCR. Our results showed that the bifidobacterial population establishment is affected by gestational age, delivery mode, and infant feeding, as it is evidenced by qualitative and quantitative changes. These data underline the need for understanding the impact of perinatal factors on the gut microbiota also at low taxonomic levels, especially in the case of relevant microbial populations such as Bifidobacterium. The data obtained provide indications for the selection of the species best suited for the development of bifidobacteria-based products for different groups of neonates and will help to develop rational strategies for favoring a healthy early microbiota development when this process is challenged.

scholarly journals Characterisation of brain volume and microstructure at term-equivalent age in infants born across the gestational age spectrum

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 101630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanne K. Thompson ◽  
Claire E. Kelly ◽  
Jian Chen ◽  
Richard Beare ◽  
Bonnie Alexander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gestational Age ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Equivalent Age

scholarly journals Size at birth, lifecourse factors, and cognitive function in late life: findings from the MYsore study of Natal effects on Ageing and Health (MYNAH) cohort in South India

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Murali Krishna ◽  
Ghattu V. Krishnaveni ◽  
Veena Sargur ◽  
Kalyanaraman Kumaran ◽  
Mohan Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Early Life ◽  
South India ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Cardiometabolic Disorders ◽  
Size At Birth

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine if smaller size at birth, an indicator of growth restriction in utero, is associated with lower cognition in late life, and whether this may be mediated by impaired early life brain development and/or adverse cardiometabolic programming. Design: Longitudinal follow-up of a birth cohort. Setting: CSI Holdsworth Memorial Hospital (HMH), Mysore South India. Participants: 721 men and women (55–80 years) whose size at birth was recorded at HMH. Approximately 20 years earlier, a subset (n = 522) of them had assessments for cardiometabolic disorders in mid-life. Measurements: Standardized measurement of cognitive function, depression, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors; blood tests and assessments for cardiometabolic disorders Results: Participants who were heavier at birth had higher composite cognitive scores (0.12 SD per SD birth weight [95% CI 0.05, 0.19] p = 0.001) in late life. Other lifecourse factors independently positively related to cognition were maternal educational level and participants’ own educational level, adult leg length, body mass index, and socioeconomic position, and negatively were diabetes in mid-life and current depression and stroke. The association of birth weight with cognition was independent cardiometabolic risk factors and was attenuated after adjustment for all lifecourse factors (0.08 SD per SD birth weight [95% CI −0.01, 0.18] p = 0.07). Conclusions: The findings are consistent with positive effects of early life environmental factors (better fetal growth, education, and childhood socioeconomic status) on brain development resulting in greater long-term cognitive function. The results do not support a pathway linking poorer fetal development with reduced late life cognitive function through cardiometabolic programming.

Targeting the gut microbiota to influence brain development and function in early life

2018 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
pp. 191-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shugui Wang ◽  
Louise Harvey ◽  
Rocio Martin ◽  
Eline M. van der Beek ◽  
Jan Knol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Early Life ◽  
And Function

scholarly journals Habituation as Parameter for Prediction of Mental Development in Healthy Preterm Infants

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (14) ◽  
pp. 1591-1597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Weber ◽  
Antoinette Depoorter ◽  
Patrick Hetzel ◽  
Sakari Lemola
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Mismatch Negativity ◽  
Infant Development ◽  
Mental Development ◽  
Learning Capability ◽  
Equivalent Age ◽  
Developmental Index ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Mental Developmental Index

The aim of this prospective pilot study was to evaluate the predictive value of discrimination and habituation, which was measured by mismatch negativity in 17 healthy very preterm (mean gestational age 27.4 weeks; range 25.0-31.3) and 16 term (mean gestational age 40.3 weeks; range 37.9-41.7) born infants at term equivalent age. Developmental outcome was measured by Bayley Scales of Infant Development–I in 13 preterm and 13 term-born children at a mean age of 21.7 months (±2.18) and 18.5 months (±1.9), respectively. No differences in amplitude and latency of the mismatch negativity were found between both groups at term equivalent age. Within the preterm group habituation capacity was positively correlated with the Mental Developmental Index ( r = .654, P = .008) and Performance Developmental Index ( r = .482, P = .048) at 21 months. Early learning capability, as measured by habituation, may be associated with a better prognosis for early mental development in healthy preterm infants.

Nutrition and Brain Development in Early Life

2015 ◽  
pp. 79-126
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Prado ◽  
Kathryn Dewey
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Early Life

scholarly journals Association of gestational age with MRI-based biometrics of brain development in fetuses

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuequan Shi ◽  
Yunjing Xue ◽  
Chunxia Chen ◽  
Kaiwu Lin ◽  
Zuofu Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Polynomial Regression ◽  
Fetal Brain ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Menstrual Period ◽  
Last Menstrual Period

Abstract Background Reported date of last menstrual period and ultrasonography measurements are the most commonly used methods for determining gestational age in antenatal life. However, the mother cannot always determine the last menstrual period with certainty, and ultrasonography measurements are accurate only in the first trimester. We aimed to assess the ability of various biometric measurements on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in determining the accurate gestational age of an individual fetus in the second half of gestation. Methods We used MRI to scan a total of 637 fetuses ranging in age from 22 to 40 gestational weeks. We evaluated 9 standard fetal 2D biometric parameters, and regression models were fitted to assess normal fetal brain development. A stepwise linear regression model was constructed to predict gestational age, and measurement accuracy was determined in a held-out, unseen test sample (n = 49). Results A second-order polynomial regression model was found to be the best descriptor of biometric measures including brain bi-parietal diameter, head circumference, and fronto-occipital diameter in relation to normal fetal growth. Normal fetuses showed divergent growth patterns for the cerebrum and cerebellum, where the cerebrum undergoes rapid growth in the second trimester, while the cerebellum undergoes rapid growth in the third trimester. Moreover, a linear model based on biometrics of brain bi-parietal diameter, length of the corpus callosum, vermis area, transverse cerebellar diameter, and cerebellar area accurately predicted gestational age in the second and third trimesters (cross-validation R2 = 0.822, p < 0.001). Conclusions These results support the use of MRI biometry charts to improve MRI evaluation of fetal growth and suggest that MRI biometry measurements offer a potential estimation model of fetal gestational age in the second half of gestation, which is vital to any assessment of pregnancy, fetal development, and neonatal care.

The perinatal origins of childhood anxiety disorders and the role of early-life maternal predictors

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Megan Galbally ◽  
Stuart J. Watson ◽  
Elisabeth F. C. van Rossum ◽  
Wai Chen ◽  
Edo Ronald de Kloet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Parenting Stress ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Childhood Anxiety ◽  
Antenatal Depression ◽  
Hair Cortisol ◽  
Maternal Factors ◽  
Childhood Anxiety Disorders

Abstract Background The development of childhood anxiety disorders (CADs) is likely to depend on pathways that can be programmed by early-life risk factors. We test the hypothesis that early-life maternal factors can predict this programming effect on CAD. Methods Data were obtained from 198 women and children from the Mercy Pregnancy and Emotional Wellbeing Study (MPEWS), a cohort study with data collected across pregnancy, postpartum and until 4 years of age. Maternal antenatal depression was measured using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV), together with antenatal hair cortisol concentrations, maternal childhood trauma and parenting stress at 6 months postpartum. CAD was assessed with the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment and the Child Behaviour Checklist. Results Antenatal depression, a history of maternal childhood trauma and lower gestational age at birth were each associated with anxiety disorders at 4 years of age in their children. A multivariate binary logistic model with these early predictors explained approximately 9% of variance in CAD outcome at 4 years of age; however, only maternal trauma and gestational age were significant predictors in the model. The effect of early parenting stress on CAD was found to vary by the concentration of maternal antenatal hair cortisol, whereby postpartum parenting stress was associated with CAD only when there were higher maternal antenatal cortisol levels. Conclusions This study suggests the importance of maternal factors pre-conception, pregnancy and in the postnatal period, which predict CADs and this is consistent with a developmental programming hypothesis for CAD.

scholarly journals Associations of Feeding Practices in Early Life and Dietary Intake at School Age with Obesity in 10- to 12-Year-Old Arab Children

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2106
Author(s):  
Khitam Muhsen ◽  
Wasef Na’amnih ◽  
Rebecca Goldsmith ◽  
Maayan Maya ◽  
Nuha Zeidan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
School Age ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Total Fat ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Gestational Age At Birth ◽  
Age At Birth

Understanding the role in pediatric obesity of early life feeding practices and dietary intake at school age is essential for early prevention. The study aimed to examine associations of early life feeding practices, environmental and health-related exposures, and dietary intake at school age as determinants of obesity in children aged 10–12 years. In an earlier study of 233 healthy infants in two Arab towns in northern Israel, neonatal history, feeding practices, and health information were obtained up to age 18 months. This follow-up study assessed dietary intake and anthropometric measurements at age 10–12 years using the 24 h recall method. Overall, 174 children participated in this study. Almost all (98%) the children were breastfed. The prevalence of obesity at school age was 42%. A multivariable model adjusted for energy intake and socioeconomic status showed positive associations of total fat intake and of weight-for-height z score, but not feeding practices in infancy, with obesity. Higher gestational age at birth was associated with lower odds of obesity at age 10–12 years. In conclusion, in a population with near universal breastfeeding, gestational age at birth, weight indicators but not feeding practices in infancy, and total fat intake at school age were associated with increased likelihood of obesity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document