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February 11, 2013, Vol 167, No. 4 >

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Review Article | February 11, 2013

Effect of Intestinal Microbial Ecology on the Developing Brain

Martha Douglas-Escobar, MD; Elizabeth Elliott; Josef Neu, MD
JAMA Pediatr. 2013;167(4):374-379. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.497.
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The mammalian gastrointestinal tract harbors a highly diverse microbial population that plays a major role in nutrition, metabolism, protection against pathogens, and development of the immune system. It is estimated that at least 1000 different bacterial species cohabit the human intestinal tract. Most recently, the Human Microbiome Project, using new genomic technologies, has started a catalog of specific microbiome composition and its correlation with health and specific diseases. Herein we provide a brief review of the intestinal microbiome, with a focus on new studies showing that there is an important link between the microbes that inhabit the intestinal tract and the developing brain. With future research, an understanding of this link may help us to treat various neurobehavioral problems such as autism, schizophrenia, and anxiety.
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Figure 1. Enteric nervous system, providing bidirectional communication between gastrointestinal cells and the central nervous system. Intestinal epithelial cells mediate interactions between gut bacteria and the central nervous system or the immune system. As bacteria (shown in green) in the intestine come into contact with receptors (shown in black) on the intestinal wall cell surface, the receptors transmit signals to the central nervous system via the vagus nerve pathways (curved arrow to central nervous system) and to the immune system (curved arrow) via Toll-like receptor pathways.

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Figure 2. Composition of the gut microbiota in a neonate. The composition of the microbiota is affected by numerous external and internal factors, beginning at birth.

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Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

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