Abstract
Infant temperament characteristics play a critical role in children’s developmental pathways and can predict adulthood psychopathology. The diversity and composition of the gut microbiota are associated with human temperament in both adults and young children. However, the relationship between the gut microbiota and temperament in 12-month-old infants is rarely studied; this developmental period is when temperament reaches a relatively stable stage. We used high-throughput sequencing methods to explore whether temperament characteristics were associated with gut microbiota diversity and composition. Infants’ fecal samples were collected at 12 months of age for the gut microbiota analysis. Based on the primary caregivers’ reports, infants’ temperaments were measured using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-revised (IBQ-R). This study included 51 infants, including 20 boys and 31 girls, with a mean age of 12.25 months. Results showed that soothability was positively correlated with maternal education level (β = 0.29, p = 0.043, adjust p = 0.025) and the abundance of Bifidobacterium genera (β = 0.62, p = 0.004, adjust p = 0.002). Conversely, cuddliness was negatively correlated with the abundance of Hungatella genera. There was no significant difference in temperament based on gender. This study demonstrated that gut microbiota composition was associated with temperament in 12-month-old infants. These results point to the importance of gut microbiota balance. Future studies on the mechanisms behind the gut microbiota affecting temperament are warranted.
Highlights
Studying temperament is an effective approach to study the differences in individual behavioral characteristics [1]
This study demonstrated that gut microbiota composition was associated with temperament in 12-month-old infants
The first study of gender differences in temperament was measured by Infant Behavior Questionnaire-revised (IBQ-R) in 2003 [2], and this study showed that female infants showed higher scores on the fear subscale and that male infants were rated higher on the activity and high-intensity pleasure subscales
Summary
Studying temperament is an effective approach to study the differences in individual behavioral characteristics [1]. Behavior Questionnaire-revised (IBQ-R) [2], cultural and sociodemographic modulatory factors could shape the development of temperament in early life. These factors include maternal race, maternal education level, caregivers’ psychosocial characteristics, family economic status, numbers of siblings, and feeding type [2,3,4,5]. In studying infants’ temperaments, previous studies were restricted by infants’ age, sex, and birth order, and there was less focus on the exploration of the natural, biological mechanisms associated with temperament such as gut microbiota, immune factors, and inflammatory cytokines [2,7,8]. The bidirectional microbiota–gut–brain axis (MGB) connects the gut microbiota with the human brain, and this synergy in turn influences human behaviors [9,10]. The MGB axis [11] includes the Microorganisms 2020, 8, 0; doi:10.3390/microorganisms8050000 www.mdpi.com/journal/microorganisms
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