Malnutrition and the microbiome as modifiers of early neurodevelopment

Malnutrition refers to a dearth, excess, or altered differential ratios of calories, macronutrients, or micronutrients. Malnutrition, particularly during early life, is a pressing global health and socioeconomic burden that is increasingly associated with neurodevelopmental impairments. Understanding how perinatal malnutrition influences brain development is crucial to uncovering fundamental mechanisms for establishing behavioral neurocircuits, with the potential to inform public policy and clinical interventions for neurodevelopmental conditions. Recent studies reveal that the gut microbiome can mediate dietary effects on host physiology and that the microbiome modulates the development and function of the nervous system. This review discusses evidence that perinatal malnutrition alters brain development and examines the maternal and neonatal microbiome as a potential contributing factor. Malnutrition in humans and in animal models is associated with lasting impairments in brain development, function, and later life behavior.The gut microbiome interacts closely with host diet and nutrition, has the capacity to modulate brain function and behavior, and is implicated as a mediator of the adverse effects of malnutrition on development.Microbial modulation of host metabolism, biochemical signaling, immune function, stress-responsivity, and epigenetic regulation are implicated as pathways by which the gut microbiome may influence the nervous system.Understanding mechanistic links between the microbiome and neurodevelopment may reveal new approaches to preventing, diagnosing, and treating the neurological consequences of early malnutrition.