Gut microbiota-Microglia Interactions in NeuroDevelopment

Project Information

GutMIND

Grant agreement ID: 797592

DOI

10.3030/797592

Project closed

EC signature date 3 April 2018

Start date 1 June 2018

End date 31 May 2020

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 175 866,00

EU contribution

€ 175 866,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK - NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, CORK
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GutMIND (Gut microbiota-Microglia Interactions in NeuroDevelopment)

Reporting period: 2018-06-01 to 2020-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Childhood psychiatric disorders are alarmingly common, but there remain many unknowns about how they start, what factors can contribute to their onset or maintenance, and the best ways to treat them. There is a long history of research showing that certain points of early life (known as “critical windows”) are particularly important for normal development of the brain and behaviour. However, not all the contributing factors are well-defined. The GutMIND project asked whether interactions between the brain and the body, and especially the bugs living in our guts (the “gut microbiome”), have critical windows. We tested whether microbiome disruption by antibiotics during early life has implications for neural and behavioural outcomes in mice. This is particularly important to understand given the high rates of antibiotic use in modern society; antibiotics not only kill harmful bacteria but also deplete the microbiome, with little known about the collateral impact on our brains and behaviour, especially in developing individuals. Our results addressing these questions will be published soon.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We used a mouse model to test whether the microbiome is more or less important during very specific times of development. We treated mice with antibiotics during these specific time windows, then observed their behaviour in a series of tasks that test a wide range of abilities and behaviours. We tested both males and females, and examined behaviour in both adolescence and adulthood to look for potential sex effects and to capture the full timeline of possible impacts of the microbiome depletion. There were only subtle effects of early-life microbiome depletion on later behaviour, with ongoing work examining potential antibiotic-induced changes in brain function. Once our results have been through the scientific peer review process, we aim to share them with doctors and parents through our social media platforms, public events, and collaborators in hospitals. This will mean that these groups have the most up-to-date information to help them make informed decisions about using antibiotics in early life.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

We moved beyond previous research by examining the effects of early-life antibiotics in both male and female animals in our mouse model. We were the first to compare very specific and targeted windows of microbiome depletion in early life, with the aim of better understanding the timeline of microbiome interactions with the brain. This provides us with valuable information on the later consequences of these important, often life-saving, medical interventions.

Does microbiome disruption by antibiotics impact neural and behavioural development?