Abstract
SummaryWe have shown previously that prebiotic (Bimuno galacto-oligosacharides, B-GOS®) administration to neonatal rats increased hippocampal NMDAR proteins. The present study has investigated the effects of postnatal B-GOS® supplementation on hippocampus-dependent behavior in young, adolescent, and adult rats and applied electrophysiological, metabolomic and metagenomic analyses to explore potential underlying mechanisms. The administration of B-GOS® to suckling, but not post-weaned, rats reduced anxious behavior until adulthood. Neonatal prebiotic intake also reduced the fast decay component of hippocampal NMDAR currents, altered age-specific trajectories of the brain, intestinal, and liver metabolomes, and reduced abundance of fecal Enterococcus and Dorea bacteria. Our data are the first to show that prebiotic administration to rats during a specific postnatal period has long-term effects on behavior and hippocampal physiology. The study also suggests that early-life prebiotic intake may affect host brain function through the reduction of stress-related gut bacteria rather than increasing the proliferation of beneficial microbes.
Highlights
There is increasing evidence of the gut microbiota’s influence on the digestive system and brain function of the host
SUMMARY We have shown previously that prebiotic (Bimuno galacto-oligosacharides, B-GOSâ) administration to neonatal rats increased hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) proteins
Our data are the first to show that prebiotic administration to rats during a specific postnatal period has long-term effects on behavior and hippocampal physiology
Summary
There is increasing evidence of the gut microbiota’s influence on the digestive system and brain function of the host. Conventionalization at later time points, is less efficient and virtually ineffective once mice reach adulthood (Cahenzli et al, 2013, Diaz Heijtz et al, 2011; Neufeld et al, 2011a; Clarke et al, 2013). This illustrates that the early establishment of the gut microbiota in the host and their joint postnatal development are key for the gut microbiota to be most beneficial to the host. The plasticity observed during a limited postnatal time period has the potential to shape longterm phenotypes and provides a ‘‘therapeutic window’’ in which deficits can be rectified and health protected long-term
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