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(https://www.psypost.org/study-examines-how-early-experiences-shape-our-mental-health-trajectory/) Study examines how early experiences shape our mental health trajectory
Nov 10th 2024, 08:00

Adverse childhood experiences can lead to adult symptoms of anxiety and depression, mediated by life history strategies, according to a study published in (https://doi.org/10.1080/19485565.2024.2359600) Biodemography & Social Biology.
Existing research underscores the psychological impact of early-life adversity, with theories across cognitive, behavioral, and evolutionary psychology exploring these long-term effects. The life history theory, specifically, offers insight by framing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in terms of fast or slow life strategies, each with distinct reproductive and developmental adaptations suited to one’s environment.
Life history theory posits that individuals exposed to unstable or hostile environments in childhood often adopt a “fast” life strategy, focusing on early reproduction and risk-taking. In contrast, those in stable conditions tend to adopt “slow” strategies, emphasizing long-term planning and higher parental investment.
These strategies have been linked not only to reproductive outcomes but also to mental health, as recent studies suggest that fast life history strategies correlate with mental health vulnerabilities. Nazila Amani and Gholamreza Dehshiri investigated whether life history strategy mediates the relationship between ACEs and adult anxiety and depression symptoms.
This study included 248 Iranian adults (162 women and 86 men), aged 18 to 53, recruited via social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed a battery of online assessments: the ACE questionnaire, Mini-K-20, and the anxiety and depression subscales of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The ACE questionnaire measured perceived childhood adversity (first decade of life) across domains including family instability, neighborhood safety, economic difficulties, and exposure to negative life events. The Mini-K-20 assessed life history strategy and the GHQ-28 subscales measured current symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The researchers found that participants who reported higher levels of ACEs showed a greater inclination toward a “fast” life strategy, characterized by behaviors that prioritize immediate survival and adaptation to unpredictable environments. This strategy, while adaptive in certain environmental contexts, was associated with greater vulnerability to anxiety and depression symptoms in adulthood, highlighting a potential pathway through which early adversity impacts adult psychological outcomes.
Both male and female participants exhibited similar patterns, with no significant gender differences observed in the mediation model. These findings suggest that the mediating effect of life history strategy on the ACEs-mental health link is consistent across genders, despite some literature indicating potential gender variations.
This study adds to a growing body of research that positions life history strategy as a significant factor in understanding the long-term effects of childhood adversity on mental health.
A limitation is that the study’s reliance on retrospective self-reporting of childhood experiences may introduce recall bias, and the pandemic context may have elevated anxiety and depression scores, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings.
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1080/19485565.2024.2359600) Adverse childhood experiences, symptoms of anxiety and depression in adulthood: Mediation role of life history strategy”, was authored by Nazila Amani and Gholamreza Dehshiri.

(https://www.psypost.org/huge-study-reveals-striking-decline-in-the-desire-to-stand-out-and-be-unique/) Huge study reveals striking decline in the desire to stand out and be unique
Nov 10th 2024, 06:00

A recent study published in (https://online.ucpress.edu/collabra/article/10/1/121937/202992/Changes-in-Need-for-Uniqueness-From-2000-Until) Collabra: Psychology has found a notable decline in people’s motivation to stand out or be unique over the past two decades. Researchers analyzed data from over one million people between 2000 and 2020, measuring various aspects of uniqueness, including willingness to defend beliefs, adherence to rules, and concern over others’ reactions. Results revealed declines across all three areas.
The new study was motivated by evidence suggesting that people are increasingly concerned about the social consequences of expressing opinions, particularly in online spaces where scrutiny is often harsh and widespread. Polling data and past research suggested that fear of isolation or criticism might make people more cautious about sharing beliefs or acting in ways that draw attention.
At the same time, rising social anxiety and sensitivity to judgment could make people more hesitant to express uniqueness in ways perceived as confrontational or outside social norms. Given these shifts, the researchers wanted to track whether and how people’s desire for uniqueness had changed over a 20-year period.
“People have varied perceptions of and opinions about social media. However, one thing everyone seemed to agree on is that you need to be incredibly careful about what you’re posting; it might be best to keep quiet and not stick out too much,” explained study author (https://chopiklab.com/) Bill Chopik, an associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University.
“There’s also a lot of public polling where people are afraid of expressing opinions that are too controversial. In some polls, over 70% of people say they self-censor online. They also think that this fear is damaging public discourse and harming our ability to exchange ideas freely. Part of these observations speaks to people’s ability to be unique and authentically express themselves.”
“We sensed that people thought this was a relatively recent phenomenon. But we thought it’d be good to formally test if people are concerned about these things (i.e., standing out/being unique) and if it is a relatively recent concern or something that’s always existed.”
For their study, the researchers conducted a large-scale analysis of survey data from over 1.3 million participants who completed the need-for-uniqueness questionnaire as part of the Gosling-Potter Personality Project between 2000 and 2020. This survey, conducted annually, gathered data from thousands to hundreds of thousands of respondents each year, predominantly from the United States, providing a robust dataset for identifying trends over time. The survey measured three distinct facets of uniqueness: lack of concern about others’ opinions, willingness to break rules, and tendency to defend personal beliefs publicly.
The need-for-uniqueness questionnaire consisted of 32 statements, each designed to assess participants’ comfort and motivation in standing out. Respondents rated each statement on a scale from one to five, allowing researchers to calculate average scores for each of the three facets.
For example, a participant might rate statements like “I tend to express my opinions publicly, regardless of what others say” or “It is better to agree with others than to be considered disagreeable” to reflect their stance on defending beliefs and concern over others’ reactions. Each facet’s scores were then analyzed year by year, enabling the researchers to identify any significant changes over the 20-year period.
The data showed notable decreases in all three facets from 2000 to 2020, suggesting a shift towards greater conformity and self-censorship in social spaces.
The largest decline, at 6.52%, was in people’s willingness to publicly defend their beliefs, signaling a significant change in how comfortable individuals feel about expressing their opinions. In 2000, survey responses indicated that people were generally more willing to stand by their viewpoints, even if controversial or different from popular opinion. By 2020, however, people were far less likely to express strong beliefs publicly.
This trend could indicate an increase in self-censorship, with individuals potentially fearing backlash, isolation, or criticism if their views differ from those of their peers or social circles. The researchers noted that this decline could be tied to the growth of social media platforms, where opinions are widely broadcasted and scrutinized, making individuals more cautious about sharing viewpoints that might be controversial.
“One thing we were a bit surprised by was how long ago some of these changes started,” Chopik told PsyPost. “We saw that some of the effects (e.g., not defending beliefs publicly) began as early as 2001, before much social media. So, it confirms some thinking about online spaces, but it’s otherwise a bit of a mystery why people are reticent to stand out.”
A related dimension, concern over how others perceive them, saw a 4.28% increase, meaning individuals increasingly reported caring about others’ opinions. This change suggests that people have become more attuned to potential social consequences of their actions and opinions, driving them to prioritize fitting in over expressing unique or divergent perspectives.
In other words, the study suggests that people today are more concerned with maintaining social harmony and acceptance, potentially at the expense of personal authenticity. This heightened concern may reflect broader social anxieties and an increased sensitivity to others’ judgments, which are especially apparent in online spaces where feedback is instant and highly visible.
The study also found a decline, albeit less steep, in people’s willingness to break rules, indicating that people are less inclined to challenge norms or social expectations than two decades ago. This dimension captures a desire to stand out by defying conventions, sometimes a way of asserting individuality. However, responses suggest that, over time, people have become more reserved in behavior, choosing to conform to social norms rather than push boundaries. While the decline here was less dramatic than in other dimensions, it still reflects a shift towards greater caution and adherence to social rules, potentially motivated by a desire to avoid negative social repercussions.
“People’s need for uniqueness is at a 20-year low,” Chopik said. “This effect was primarily driven by people’s apprehension about sharing and defending their beliefs publicly. Although they were also declining, the desire to follow the rules and worry about others’ opinions didn’t decline as much as reluctance to share and defend beliefs publicly. We think the integration of social media into people’s lives—and its punitive consequences—may be one of the causes, but we were limited in our ability to test that.”
As with all research, there are limitations. The survey covers only a 20-year span, limiting insights into longer historical trends. Future research could address these gaps by including a broader participant range and extending the timeline to explore broader societal shifts.
“We couldn’t examine too many mechanisms behind why the need for uniqueness was declining,” Chopik noted. “Also, the effects were small depending on perspective. Psychological traits change slowly at the population level (our study is consistent with this). But the effects are small in the absolute sense—it’s more of a ‘slow creep’ than anything dramatic.”
Looking forward, the researchers aim to investigate why people’s desire for uniqueness has declined. This research opens the door for further exploration into how social and digital changes impact personal expression and belonging.
“Overall, we’re curious about how societies—and the people in them—change over time,” Chopik said. “Even though we saw a change at the population level, plenty of individuals don’t change and aren’t worried about these issues (others are even more terrified). But why? That’s a major part of our lab’s future. Plus, the sample was mostly from the United States, so we’re curious if other countries (with different norms about standing out) might show something similar. But we’ll need to conduct formal studies!”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.121937) Changes in Need for Uniqueness From 2000 Until 2020,” was authored by William Chopik, Kim Götschi, Alejandro Carrillo, Rebekka Weidmann, and Jeff Potter.

(https://www.psypost.org/impact-of-hurricane-exposure-on-health-varies-by-personality-research-suggests/) Impact of hurricane exposure on health varies by personality, research suggests
Nov 9th 2024, 16:00

A retrospective study of young adults impacted by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 found links between perceived changes in health-related behaviors and personality traits. More extraverted individuals tended to perceive positive changes in their health since the hurricane, while individuals with higher levels of neuroticism perceived negative changes in their health and diet. The study was published in the (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2024.104544) Journal of Research in Personality.
Natural disasters can have far-reaching economic and public health consequences. While the physical damage they cause is often visible and relatively easy to quantify, their psychological effects on survivors are less apparent. Such events can result in traumatic experiences that lead to poorer mental and physical health long after the disaster has passed.
Scientists report that global warming has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, with current levels at their highest in recent history. These events are expected to become even more frequent and severe in the future. However, research on the psychological impact of hurricane exposure on survivors is limited.
Study authors Olivia E. Atherton and Rodica Ioana Damian sought to examine the links between personality traits and perceived changes in health and health-related behaviors among individuals exposed to a hurricane. They hypothesized that individuals with higher levels of neuroticism—those who are less emotionally stable—would perceive stronger negative changes in health following hurricane exposure. Conversely, they expected the personality trait of conscientiousness to mitigate the perceived negative health effects of hurricane exposure.
The study participants were 646 college students who lived in the area affected by Hurricane Harvey, which hit Houston during the first week of the fall 2017 semester. The university where these students were enrolled closed for over a week due to the hurricane, with some campus buildings suffering extensive damage. Many students and faculty members were displaced from their homes, and the rebuilding process continued throughout the following year.
Of the participants, 72% were female, and their average age was 22. They completed two surveys as part of the study: the first in November 2017, shortly after the hurricane, and the second one year later.
In the first survey, participants provided demographic information, assessed their level of exposure to Hurricane Harvey by selecting stressors they had experienced from a list, and completed a personality assessment using the Big Five Inventory – 2. The second survey asked participants to reflect on their perceived changes in health and health-related behaviors compared to before the hurricane. This survey inquired about changes in general health, cigarette smoking, drinking and binge drinking, sleep problems, physical activity, and dietary habits.
The results showed that the level of exposure to Hurricane Harvey was not associated with changes in overall health, sleep, drinking, smoking, or physical activity. However, participants who experienced more adverse effects due to the hurricane were more likely to report that their diet had worsened than those less affected.
Individuals high in neuroticism were more likely to report negative changes in health after the hurricane, including worsened sleep, decreased physical activity, and poorer diet. Meanwhile, more extraverted individuals tended to perceive improvements in their health.
“We find that some people’s perceptions of their health (i.e., nutrition) may be disrupted by a hurricane, and that some people (i.e., higher in Neuroticism) may be at higher risk for perceiving worse changes in various health domains (i.e., overall health, sleep, nutrition, physical activity). Yet, the reasons for, and boundary conditions of, these findings remain to be explored,” the study authors concluded.
The study provides an interesting exploration of possible links between hurricane exposure and perceived health changes. However, it should be noted that the study relied solely on retrospective self-reports, leaving room for reporting biases and memory recall issues that could influence the results. Additionally, the sample consisted entirely of college students, and results may not generalize to other demographic groups.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2024.104544) Hurricane exposure, personality traits, and perceived changes in health and health behaviors,” was authored by Olivia E. Atherton and Rodica Ioana Damian.

(https://www.psypost.org/dietary-spermidine-intake-linked-to-lower-risk-of-depression-study-finds/) Dietary spermidine intake linked to lower risk of depression, study finds
Nov 9th 2024, 14:00

A new study published in the (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.05.041) Journal of Affective Disorders highlights a potential link between dietary intake of spermidine, a naturally occurring compound found in many foods, and a reduced risk of depression. Researchers discovered that higher levels of dietary spermidine were associated with lower rates of depressive symptoms in adults, suggesting that spermidine-rich foods might benefit mental health.
Depression is a widespread mental health disorder that affects millions of people globally. It is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest in activities, and a range of physical and emotional symptoms, such as fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Depression can arise from various factors, including genetic predisposition, brain chemistry, environmental stressors, and lifestyle factors like diet.
The impact of depression on quality of life is profound, and it ranks as one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Given the high prevalence and significant toll of depression, there is a growing interest in identifying modifiable factors, such as diet, that may help in its prevention and management.
Spermidine is a naturally occurring compound found in various foods, including soybeans, red kidney beans, wheat germ, hazelnuts, peas, mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, almonds, pistachios, chestnuts, rice, white bread, apples, bananas, avocados, kiwis, as well as meats like beef, chicken, pork, turkey, and duck, and animal products such as milk and eggs.
It is part of a group of molecules called polyamines, which are essential for cell health and play key roles in supporting cellular processes like growth, repair, and protection against stress. Spermidine has been shown to support cell longevity by inducing autophagy, a process that helps cells remove damaged components and maintain optimal function.
Beyond cellular health, spermidine’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties have made it a subject of interest in research on aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and now, mental health. Some studies have suggested that spermidine may improve heart health, reduce inflammation, and enhance cognitive function, leading scientists to investigate whether it may also have protective effects against depression.
In the new study, researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a cross-sectional study that assesses health and dietary patterns among a representative sample of American adults. This study incorporated data collected from five NHANES cycles spanning from 2005 to 2014, involving over 19,000 participants. Participants provided dietary information through a 24-hour recall interview, which was then cross-referenced with known spermidine content in various foods to estimate daily intake levels.
To gauge depression symptoms, the researchers used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a validated survey tool that measures symptoms of depression over the past two weeks. Those who scored above a certain threshold on the PHQ-9 were classified as having significant depressive symptoms. Researchers also considered other factors that might influence depression risk, including age, sex, race, marital status, income, smoking, exercise habits, and medical conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.
The analysis revealed that participants with higher spermidine intake were less likely to report depressive symptoms than those with lower intake levels. This association held true across different types of spermidine-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, nuts, eggs, and seafood. These findings were supported by statistical models showing that those in the highest spermidine intake group had lower odds of depression than those in the lowest intake group.
Interestingly, not all sources of spermidine were associated with a lower risk of depression. For example, spermidine from legumes, fresh meats, and dairy products did not show a significant association with depression risk in this study. The researchers speculate that certain compounds in cooked meats, such as saturated fats and trans fats, could counteract spermidine’s protective effects on mental health. Thus, while foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, and seafood were linked to lower depression risk, other dietary sources did not show the same benefit.
The study controlled for various demographic, health, lifestyle, and dietary factors, including age, sex, race, marital status, education, income, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, pre-existing conditions (like hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia), as well as dietary quality, caffeine, carbohydrate, calorie, and fiber intake, to isolate the potential effect of spermidine on depression. But the study is not without limitations.
First, because it is cross-sectional, it cannot prove causation—meaning it cannot confirm that spermidine intake directly prevents or reduces depression. It’s also possible that participants’ dietary habits or other unmeasured factors contributed to the observed associations.
Moreover, the study relied on participants’ self-reported dietary recall, which can introduce inaccuracies. Future studies could benefit from tracking dietary intake over a longer period or from using biological markers of spermidine levels in the body for more accurate measurements. Researchers also suggest that additional studies could investigate whether spermidine directly affects brain health through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, or if it interacts with other nutrients in ways that influence mood.
The study, “(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032724007596) Association between dietary spermidine intake and depressive symptoms among US adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2014,” was authored by Guolian Qi, Jianing Wang, Yunyan Chen, Wei Wei, and Changhao Sun.

(https://www.psypost.org/surprising-precision-nearly-half-of-earworms-match-original-pitch-perfectly/) Surprising precision: Nearly half of “earworms” match original pitch perfectly
Nov 9th 2024, 12:00

Most of us have experienced a catchy tune looping in our minds, but how accurately do we recall the music? A new study published in (https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13414-024-02936-0) Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics reveals that these “earworms” may be stored more precisely in our brains than we think. Researchers found that nearly half of the sung renditions matched the original pitch of the songs, challenging previous beliefs about the limits of our musical memory.
The phenomenon of earworms is widespread, affecting over 90% of people, yet little is known about the precision of these involuntary musical memories. Most people lack perfect pitch, meaning they generally cannot recall exact musical notes without a reference. However, prior studies have hinted that people might remember melodies at a more precise pitch than expected, even if they can’t name the notes. The researchers aimed to see if this precise recall extended to earworms—songs that arise spontaneously rather than those we deliberately try to remember.
“I first learned about the field of music cognition from Daniel Levitin’s book This Is Your Brain On Music. In that book, he describes a study where they found evidence for absolute pitch recall in voluntarily-recalled musical imagery – and I tried it myself, and it worked, and I’ve been hooked on the topic of musical memory ever since,” said study author (https://mattevans.sites.ucsc.edu/) Matthew G. Evans, a PhD candidate at UC Santa Cruz and member of the (https://davidenko.sites.ucsc.edu/) High Level Perception Lab.
“Once I started my PhD program, the challenge of investigating whether this accurate recall is seen in involuntarily-recalled imagery, or ‘earworms,’ was really appealing, and I was excited about the opportunity to design a study to address that question.”
To conduct the study, the researchers recruited 30 undergraduate students who participated in a two-week study. Participants received random text messages throughout the day, prompting them to record any song that happened to be playing in their minds. They were instructed to sing the tune they were experiencing as accurately as possible and submit their recording via smartphone. While most participants had some familiarity with music, they did not necessarily have formal training, and none reported having perfect pitch.
This approach, called the experience sampling method, allowed researchers to capture the spontaneous nature of these musical memories in real time. The researchers then compared each recording to the original song, analyzing how closely the pitch of the sung earworm matched the song’s actual key. If the song had only one standard recorded version, the comparison was straightforward; otherwise, recordings where the exact version of the song was unclear were discarded.
Of the usable recordings, 44.7% matched the original song’s pitch exactly. Expanding the margin slightly, nearly 69% of recordings were within one semitone of the original pitch. This degree of accuracy is much higher than would be expected by random chance. For instance, if participants were singing their earworms at random pitches, only about 8% would be expected to match the original pitch.
Even more intriguing was the absence of a strong influence from recent listening. Some participants reported that their earworm was triggered by recently hearing the song, yet this group’s pitch accuracy was not significantly different from those who hadn’t heard the song recently.
“Due to the nature of our study, our data were collected in the ‘real world’ rather than in a laboratory,” Evans told PsyPost. “Because we had less control over what our participants were doing when they responded to our survey prompts, we wondered if people were just singing songs they had recently heard and, therefore, still had memory traces in their short-term memory, rather than recalling from long-term memory. But when we divided our data into responses where participants said they had recently heard the song and those where they hadn’t, we saw absolutely no difference in absolute pitch accuracy.”
These results suggest that our brains may retain a detailed “absolute pitch” memory for familiar songs, even in people without perfect pitch. Traditionally, musical memory was thought to work mainly on relative pitch—recognizing the relationships between notes without needing to recall their exact frequencies. This study challenges that view by showing that even involuntary musical memories, such as earworms, contain remarkably accurate pitch information.
“Whether or not you think of yourself as a ‘good’ singer, there are elements of your musical memories that your brain preserves accurately without any effort on your part—and without you even knowing it,” Evans explained. “The next time you have a song stuck in your head, you can check for yourself! Try to hold the pitch in your mind while you look up the original song—odds are way above chance that they’ll match.”
However, like all studies, this one has some limitations. The sample size was relatively small and consisted only of students from one university, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, because many participants had some musical training, the results might not apply to people with no musical experience at all.
“I look forward to collecting more data from a wider body of participants—there are so many questions left to investigate, and this type of dataset is uniquely useful,” Evans said.
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-024-02936-0) Absolute pitch in involuntary musical imagery,” was authored by Matthew G. Evans, Pablo Gaeta, and Nicolas Davidenko.

(https://www.psypost.org/mothers-gut-bacteria-shown-to-influence-babys-brain-development/) Mother’s gut bacteria shown to influence baby’s brain development
Nov 9th 2024, 10:00

A recent study conducted in mice suggests that specific beneficial bacteria in a pregnant mother’s gut could support healthy brain development in her fetus. Researchers at the University of Birmingham and University of Cambridge discovered that the presence of a bacterium known as Bifidobacterium breve in the gut of pregnant mice positively influenced brain metabolism and nutrient transport in the developing fetus. The results, published in (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877824001352) Molecular Metabolism, contribute to a growing body of research on the impact of maternal gut health on pregnancy outcomes.
Pregnancy complications, such as fetal growth restriction and placental insufficiency, have been linked to long-term developmental issues in children, including learning and motor impairments. Managing these complications can be challenging, as current treatments often focus on improving blood flow in the placenta but carry varying levels of risk and effectiveness.
With recent discoveries showing the significant role of gut bacteria in physical and mental health, researchers aimed to see if introducing beneficial gut bacteria could improve fetal development and prevent complications. The study focused on Bifidobacterium breve, a bacterium that naturally increases in the maternal gut during pregnancy and has been associated with benefits like infection resistance and immune modulation.
“Rates of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes are rising worldwide,” said study author (https://portalcientifico.uam.es/es/ipublic/researcher/332556) Jorge Lopez-Tello, who is now a principal investigator at Autonomous University of Madrid. “Unfortunately, we know very little about how to prevent and treat these complications and their programming effects on offspring. In recent years, many researchers have highlighted the important role of the microbiota in diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Therefore, this study was designed to identify potential therapies to help prevent pregnancy complications and to provide new non-pharmacological treatments for pregnant women.”
To test their hypothesis, the researchers used a controlled study with two groups of pregnant mice. The first group was kept entirely “germ-free,” with no bacteria in their gut. The second group, also germ-free, was given a precise dose of Bifidobacterium breve on gestational days 10, 12, and 14. This timing was chosen to replicate the way bacterial levels rise during pregnancy and to avoid causing stress to the mice through repeated handling.
The researchers then examined the fetal brains to analyze gene and protein expression, focusing on pathways associated with cell growth, nutrient metabolism, and other processes essential for healthy brain function. The researchers used molecular techniques to study changes in key genes involved in brain development and metabolism. To further assess the impact of Bifidobacterium breve, they looked at various metabolic processes in fetal brain tissue using spectroscopy to detect and measure metabolites essential for brain growth.
The study revealed that fetal mice whose mothers had Bifidobacterium breve in their gut showed increased expression of genes and proteins associated with brain metabolism and nutrient transport. Specifically, researchers noticed elevated levels of important glucose and amino acid transporters in the fetal brains of the treated group. These proteins help carry critical nutrients to brain cells, supporting growth and cognitive development. There were also increases in molecules essential for brain growth, including proteins that support the formation of new neurons and the connections between them.
“The idea that a bacterium in the mother’s gut can influence cells in the developing brain of her fetus is truly fascinating and highlights the remarkable interconnectedness of biology,” Lopez-Tello told PsyPost.
Another important finding was the upregulation of pathways that support mitochondrial function, which powers cells and plays a significant role in brain development. The researchers also observed changes in pathways regulated by hypoxia-inducible factors—proteins that help the brain adapt to low oxygen levels. These adaptations appeared to enhance the ability of fetal brain cells to take up nutrients, which may further support cognitive development. Together, these findings suggest that Bifidobacterium breve could play a significant role in establishing optimal conditions for brain growth during pregnancy.
“The main takeaway is that maternal microbiota plays a critical role in placental and fetal growth,” Lopez-Tello said. “Our study, along with previous work in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, highlights that the absence of maternal gut microbiota significantly impacts fetal growth and metabolism. Bifidobacterium is a beneficial bacterium in the maternal gut that can restore and improve the fetus’s metabolic profile.”
“Therefore, anyone who is pregnant or planning to conceive should consider the health of their gut microbiota, as it is crucial for a successful pregnancy. However, it’s important to note that this research was conducted in germ-free mice, and further studies are needed to validate these findings in humans.”
While the findings are promising, there are limitations to consider. One primary limitation is that the study was conducted in mice, which limits the ability to directly apply these results to humans. Mice in this study were also kept entirely germ-free except for Bifidobacterium breve, a scenario that does not reflect the complexity of human gut microbiomes. Future studies should investigate how Bifidobacterium breve interacts with other bacteria in a more diverse gut environment to better mimic the human experience.
“Bifidobacterium is generally considered a beneficial bacterium and is classified as a probiotic,” Lopez-Tello said. “Multiple studies have shown that it has positive effects on health. However, a key caveat in this study is that the results were obtained using animal models that lack a microbiota. As such, caution should be taken when extrapolating these findings to humans, as the absence of a complete microbiome in the animal models may not fully represent the complexities of human gut health.”
Additionally, the researchers focused solely on fetal development, leaving questions about how these effects might impact postnatal brain function and behavior. Future research could track offspring development to see if early-life changes in brain metabolism due to maternal Bifidobacterium breve supplementation influence learning, memory, or social behaviors. Exploring how different bacterial strains work together or separately could also reveal an ideal combination for supporting brain development.
“This is the starting point,” Lopez-Tello said. “We now know that the bacteria in the mother’s gut can influence placental and fetal growth. Therefore, we need to study how other types of bacteria function and identify an effective ‘cocktail’ of bacteria to design therapies for women suffering from pregnancy complications.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2024.102004) Maternal gut Bifidobacterium breve modifies fetal brain metabolism in germ-free mice,” was authored by Jorge Lopez-Tello, Raymond Kiu, Zoe Schofield, Cindy X.W. Zhang, Douwe van Sinderen, Gwénaëlle Le Gall, Lindsay J. Hall, and Amanda N. Sferruzzi-Perri.

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

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