Neurodevelopmental outcome of infants who develop necrotizing enterocolitis: The gut-brain axis. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) poses a significant risk for neurodevelopmental impairment in extremely preterm infants. The gut microbiota shapes the development of the gut, immune system, and the brain; and dysbiosis drive neonatal morbidities including NEC. In this chapter, we delineate a gut-brain axis linking gut microbiota to the adverse neurological outcomes in NEC patients. We propose that in NEC, immaturity of the microbiome along with aberrant gut microbiota-driven immaturity of the gut barrier and immune system can lead to effects including systemic inflammation and circulating microbial mediators. This nexus of gut microbiota-driven systemic effects further interacts with a likewise underdeveloped blood-brain barrier to regulate neuroinflammation and neurodevelopment. Targeting deviant gut-brain axis signaling presents an opportunity to improve the neurodevelopmental outcomes of NEC patients.

publication date

  • December 20, 2022

Research

keywords

  • Enterocolitis, Necrotizing
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome
  • Infant, Newborn, Diseases
  • Microbiota

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC9974904

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85144932408

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.semperi.2022.151694

PubMed ID

  • 36572620

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 47

issue

  • 1