Medical Bulletin 12/August/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Links between babies’ microbiome and brain development hinted in new research

In a small, exploratory study, levels of certain types of microbes in babies' guts were shown to be associated with performance in tests of early cognitive development.

The researchers analyzed data from 56 infants aged four to six months. The infants had each completed at least one of three evaluations of various cognitive abilities, and the researchers evaluated their gut microbiomes using faecal samples.

Reference: Hunter S, Flaten E, Petersen C, Gervain J, Werker JF, Trainor LJ, et al. (2023) Babies, bugs and brains: How the early microbiome associates with infant brain and behaviour development. PLoS ONE 18(8): e0288689. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288689

Breastmilk sugars could help treat infections and prevent preterm births

Breastfeeding has long been used as a method to help keep newborns healthy and protected against a variety of diseases. But certain sugars naturally found in breastmilk could also help prevent infections before a baby arrives. Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have found that these sugars can stop a common prenatal infection in human tissues and pregnant mice. This could someday help avoid preterm births or complications without the need for additional antibiotics.

One of the most common bacteria that can affect pregnancies is Group B streptococcus (GBS). If left untreated, GBS infections can potentially lead to adverse effects, including neonatal pneumonia or preterm birth. Though treatments are available, they primarily rely on antibiotics, which can give rise to resistant strains. However, many of the compounds already present in human breast milk, such as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), naturally have antibacterial effects. The team wanted to investigate HMO activity in GBS infections in pregnant mice and human tissues.

Reference: The Utility of Human Milk Oligosaccharides Against Group B Streptococcus Infections of Reproductive Tissues and Cognate Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes, ACS Central Science; DOI 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00101

Typical brain mechanism that drives learning identified

Researchers have long thought that rewards like food or money encourage learning in the brain by causing the release of the “feel-good” hormone dopamine, known to reinforce storage of new information. Now, a new study in rodents describes how learning still occurs in the absence of an immediate incentive.

Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the study explored the relationship between dopamine and the brain chemical acetylcholine, also known to play a role in learning and memory.

Reference: Intrinsic dopamine and acetylcholine dynamics in the striatum of mice, Nature; DOI 10.1038/s41586-023-05995-9