Protocol for the Emory University African American maternal stress and infant gut microbiome cohort study
Abstract
BackgroundThe microbial population of the human gut (the gut microbiome) is an integral cog in the bidirectional communication axis that exists between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. African American infants disproportionately experience multiple, overlapping vulnerabilities such as preterm birth and formula rather than breast feeding that may disrupt the development of the infant microbiome. African American infants also are more likely to have mothers affected by chronic stress both pre- and post-natally. Perhaps relatedly, African American offspring are disproportionately affected by neurodevelopmental delays. Taken together, these findings suggest that one important mechanism that may link prenatal and postnatal stress and African American infant brain development is the composition of the infant microbiome.MethodsIn our ongoing longitudinal study, Maternal Stress and the Gut-Brain Axis in African American Infants (R01MD009746), we investigate associations between maternal prenatal and postnatal stress and the composition of the infant gut microbiome, in relation to cognitive and social-emotional development. We aim to recruit 300 African American mother-infant dyads, contingent on the mother’s previous participation in an associated prenatal cohort study: Biobehavioral Determinants of the Microbiome and Preterm Birth in Black Women (R01NR014800). Following enrollment, we assess infants at 1-week, and 3-, 6-, 12-and 18-months to collect:…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.
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