Gut microbiota composition in a model of preconception stress

Prenatal mood and anxiety disorders are a common pregnancy complication that affect up to 20% of pregnant women. In addition to their negative impact on maternal mental health, they can also have long term adverse effects on the exposed fetus. Current research suggest that biological, psychological and social factors interact to precipitate anxiety and depression during pregnancy. Amongst these, emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome may be an important biological component that influences the metabolic state of pregnancy and programs health and disease in both the mother and developing fetus. Indeed, microbiota are recognized to play an important role in shaping behavior and brain functions of the host, and growing evidence suggests that prenatal maternal depression is associated with a dysregulation of maternal gut and vaginal microbiota and altered infant microbiota. However, how this microbial alteration contributes to the maternal depressive state and to possible long-lasting adverse effects in the newborn remains unknown. Against this background, the main objectives of the project are to (1) characterize the potential gut and vaginal microbial alterations associated with maternal preconceptional stress in a mouse model of social isolation; (2) verify if this microbial alteration is transmitted to the offspring, and if it precipitates long-lasting behavioral alterations; (3) evaluate whether a probiotic or antidepressant treatment in the mother may positively affect maternal gut and vaginal microbiota composition and thus revert some of the behavioral changes induced by prenatal depression in both the mother and the offspring. (4) investigate whether brainepigenetic changes in the mother and offspring mediate the effects of but microbiota alterations on behaviour.