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Cited by 51Infant Nutrition and HealthMicrobial Metabolites in Food BiotechnologyProbiotics and Fermented Foods

Feeding the developing brain: juvenile rats fed diet rich in prebiotics and bioactive milk fractions exhibit reduced anxiety-related behavior and modified gene expression in emotion circuits

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Mika, Agnieszka, Gaffney, Michelle, Roller, Rachel, Hills, Abigail, Bouchet, Courtney A., Hulen, Kristina A., Thompson, Robert S., Chichlowski, Maciej +2 more·2018·Neuroscience Letters
DOI 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.01.052
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Abstract

Early life nutrition is critical for brain development. Dietary prebiotics and bioactive milk fractions support brain development by increasing plasticity and altering activity in brain regions important for cognition and emotion regulation, perhaps through the gut-microbiome-brain axis. Here we examined the impact of a diet containing prebiotics, lactoferrin, and milk fat globule membrane (test diet) on beneficial gut bacteria, basal gene expression for activity and plasticity markers within brain circuits important for cognition and anxiety, and anxiety-related behavior in the open field. Juvenile male F344 rats were fed the test diet or a calorically matched control diet beginning postnatal day 24. After 4 weeks on diets, rats were sacrificed and brains were removed. Test diet significantly increased mRNA expression for cfos, brain derived neurotropic factor, and the GluN1 subunit of the NMDA receptor in the prefrontal cortex and reduced cfos mRNA within the amygdala. Diet-induced increases in fecal Lactobacillus spp., measured using selective bacterial culture, positively correlated with altered gene expression for cfos and serotonin receptors within multiple brain regions. In a separate cohort of juvenile rats, 4 weeks of the test diet increased time spent in the center of the open field, a behavior indicative of reduced anxiety. These data demonstrate that early life diets containing prebiotics and bioactive milk fractions can adaptively alter genes in neural circuits underlying emotion regulation and impact anxiety-related behavior.

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  • Changes in neurochemistry, neuronal activity, signaling, brain inflammation, and gene expression related to neuroplasticity were associated with administration of high-fat, high-sucrose, or high-caloric diets.

    “Additionally, changes in neurochemistry (e.g., reduction in BDNF in the hippocampus), neuronal activity (e.g., increased c-Fos activity in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala), and signaling [e.g., altered γ -aminobutyrate (GABA)], increase in brain inflammation [e.g., increased microglia, expression of inflammatory genes, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (Gfap)] and gene expression related to”

    From Diet and the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health (2021) · cites this paper as [316]

  • In juvenile rats, positive correlations between a diet-linked increase in Lactobacillus and mRNA expression of neuronal activation and serotonin receptors were described, suggesting that effects of diet on brain chemistry are mediated by certain microbes.

    “In juvenile rats, positive correlations between a diet-linked increase in Lactobacillus and mRNA expression of neuronal activation and serotonin (5-HT) receptors were described (316), suggesting that effects of diet on brain chemistry are mediated by certain microbes.”

    From Diet and the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health (2021) · cites this paper as [316]

  • Correlation analysis revealed that diet-induced changes in the microbiota were associated with biochemical and behavioral outcomes and gene expression changes.

    “Correlation analysis revealed that diet-induced changes in the microbiota were associated with biochemical and behavioral outcomes and gene expression changes (314, 316).”

    From Diet and the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health (2021) · cites this paper as [316]

  • In rats, a diet supplemented with galactooligosaccharide, polydextrose, lactoferrin, whey protein concentrate and milk-fat globule membrane decreased anxiety-like behavior.

    “↓ Anxiety-like behavior”

    From Diet and the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health (2021) · cites this paper as [316]

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Authors
Mika, A., Gaffney, M., Roller, R., Hills, A., Bouchet, C. A., Hulen, K. A., Thompson, R. S., Chichlowski, M., Berg, B. M., & Fleshner, M.
Affiliations
University of Colorado Boulder (US)
Corresponding author
Mika, Agnieszka
ORCID
Venue
Neuroscience Letters
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-06
Volume
677
Pages
103-109
ISSN
0304-3940 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.neulet.2018.01.052
OpenAlex
W2791209961
Cited by
51
References
27
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 3
FWCI
5.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Neuroscience Letters (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Mead Johnson Nutrition
  • Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (N00014-15-1-2809)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Microbial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
Keywords
prebiotics, lactoferrin, milk fat globule membrane, early life nutrition, brain development, anxiety-like behavior, gut microbiota, gut-brain axis, Lactobacillus, c-fos, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, prefrontal cortex, amygdala, serotonin receptors, emotion regulation, gene expression, young rats
MeSH terms
Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Animals, Anxiety, Brain, Diet, Emotions, Glycolipids, Glycoproteins, Lactoferrin, Male, Neuronal Plasticity, Rats, Inbred F344, RNA, Messenger, Gene Expression, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Prebiotics, Lipid Droplets

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