Current Understanding of the Roles of Gut–Brain Axis in the Cognitive Deficits Caused by Perinatal Stress Exposure

Abstract

The term ‘perinatal environment’ refers to the period surrounding birth, which plays a crucial role in brain development. It has been suggested that dynamic communication between the neuro–immune system and gut microbiota is essential in maintaining adequate brain function. This interaction depends on the mother’s status during pregnancy and/or the newborn environment. Here, we show experimental and clinical evidence that indicates that the perinatal period is a critical window in which stress-induced immune activation and altered microbiota compositions produce lasting behavioral consequences, although a clear causative relationship has not yet been established. In addition, we discuss potential early treatments for preventing the deleterious effect of perinatal stress exposure. In this sense, early environmental enrichment exposure (including exercise) and melatonin use in the perinatal period could be valuable in improving the negative consequences of early adversities. The evidence presented in this review encourages the realization of studies investigating the beneficial role of melatonin administration and environmental enrichment exposure in mitigating cognitive alteration in offspring under perinatal stress exposure. On the other hand, direct evidence of microbiota restoration as the main mechanism behind the beneficial effects of this treatment has not been fully demonstrated and should be explored in future studies.

A systematic review of the neuropathology and memory decline induced by monosodium glutamate in the Alzheimer’s disease-like animal model

“…A substantial decrease in the neurobehavioral aspects were observed in the animals of the selected studies in this review. Locomotor and exploratory behavior in mice were the most studied neurobehavioral markers, since these characteristics are the earliest form of learning and spatial cognitive competencies ( Raghu et al, 2023 ; Rubinstein et al, 2023 ). Due to their predisposition for mobility and exploration, zebrafish are valuable as animal models for neurological illnesses, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease ( Paduraru et al, 2023 ).…”

Emergence of a synergistic scaffold in the brains of human infants

“…Intertwined with the genetically programmed schedules of brain development [27,28], there is growing evidence that early activity-dependent brain development can be substantially affected by environmental factors [16,18,[29][30][31][32]. These "acquired effects" range from major medical adversities like preterm birth or perinatal asphyxia [33][34][35][36] to more subtle issues [31,[37][38][39].…”