139. Dietary prebiotics modulate gut microbiota and improve cognitive functions in developing rodents

Abstract

Changes in gut microbiota have been shown to influence brain development and expression of anxiety-like behaviors in rodent models. Consumption of prebiotics modulate gut microbiota to a limited extent and little research has explored their ability to impact brain functions. This study assessed the impact of consuming prebiotics polydextrose (PDX) and galactooligosaccharide (GOS) during normal early development on cognition, social- and anxiety-related behaviors in rodents. Weanling male C57BL/6 J mice, Sprague–Dawley and Long Evans rats ( N = 12 each) were fed control or prebiotic diet (7 g/kg and 15 g/kg PDX-GOS for rat and mouse, respectively) from postnatal day (pd) 21 throughout behavioral testing at pd 50. Memory, social behavior, and anxiety were assessed using the time-dependent version of novel object recognition, social interaction, and marble burying tests, respectively. Mice fed the prebiotic diet buried fewer marbles ( p p p