The intestinal microbiome develops rapidly in the perinatalperiod and interacts bidirectionally with host physiology through metabolic,immune and neuroendocrine pathways. Evidence from animal models and humanobservational cohorts supports the concept of a gut–brain axis in whichmicrobial communities and their metabolites influence brain development,myelination, synaptogenesis and behaviour. Premature infants often display analtered microbiome due to factors common in neonatal care — it will be importantto shed light on how this altered microbiome influences premature infants’psychomotor development.
Study Aim
This work aims to clarify whether early microbial ecology isa predictor and potential mediator of psychomotor outcomes in prematureinfants.
Scientific Approach
Prospective clinical cohort in premature infants, whose microbialprofile (bacterial of newborns of gestational age between 30-326/7SA at birthand the mother's feeding profile will be analysed, and the psychomotordevelopment at two years of age will be assessed by the 'Ages and StagesQuestionnaire' (ASQ).
Expected Outcomes
This study could potentially identify actionableinterventions (targeted probiotics, optimised feeding strategies, antibioticstewardship) and biomarkers for early risk stratification, ultimately improvingneurodevelopmental trajectories in premature infants, a particularly vulnerablepopulation.
