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Gut microbiota

Microbiota and behaviour: visiting the sins of the mother

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 13, pages 502–504 (2016)Cite this article

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Maternal obesity has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Buffington and colleagues now provide causal evidence linking maternal diet, gut microbiota and the central nervous system, highlighting key components of gut–brain signalling and indicating that a probiotic might relieve behavioural abnormalities.

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Figure 1: Schematic outlining the results of Buffington et al.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Brain-Body Institute, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Juravinski Tower, 50 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, L8N 4A6, Ontario, Canada

    Paul Forsythe & John Bienenstock

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  1. Paul Forsythe
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  2. John Bienenstock
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Correspondence to Paul Forsythe or John Bienenstock.

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Competing interests

The authors receive unrestricted research funding from BioGaia AB.

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Forsythe, P., Bienenstock, J. Microbiota and behaviour: visiting the sins of the mother. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 13, 502–504 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2016.122

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