The Premature Infants’ Gut Microbiota Assembly and Neurodevelopment (PIGMAN) Cohort Study: Protocol for a Prospective, Longitudinal Cohort Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Study Protocol
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Early-life gut microbiota colonization plays a significant role in the neurodevelopment of infants and young children. However, the causal relationship between early-life gut microbiota colonization and neurodevelopment in preterm infants has not yet been conclusively established. Our research will initiate the PIGMAN (Premature Infants Gut Microbiota Assembly and Neurodevelopment) cohort study to systematically examine the dynamic interplay between gut microbiota developmental trajectories and neurodevelopmental processes in preterm infants. METHODS: This study will employ a longitudinal cohort design and utilize data from the PIGMAN cohort, examining the interplay between gut microbiota metabolism and neurodevelopmental outcomes. The study design incorporates longitudinal stool sample collection, which will be analyzed through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metagenomic shotgun sequencing, enabling comprehensive characterization of microbial community dynamics and functional metabolic pathways. ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Advanced analytical approaches incorporating causal inference methodologies will be implemented to identify significant microbial and metabolic biomarkers associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm neonates, and to establish causal pathways between these biomarkers and neurodevelopment. These analytical advancements will facilitate the construction of predictive models that utilize temporal microbial signatures and metabolite trajectories as prognostic indicators for neurodevelopmental outcomes. Causal inference method evaluations will further reveal that specific gut-derived metabolites, particularly those involved in cholesterol metabolism and neural signaling pathways-such as bile acids and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)-exhibit superior predictive capacity for cognitive development trajectories. Anticipated Conclusions: The findings will collectively suggest that longitudinal metabolic profiling of the gut ecosystem, when combined with causal network analysis, provides a novel paradigm for developing clinically actionable predictive models of neurodevelopment in vulnerable preterm populations.
Source: Children
Authors: Tingting Li, Liangfeng Fang, Xianhong Chen, Youming He, Xiaoyuan Pang, Ling Lin, Heng Chen, Yajie Su, Yan Huang, Yanping Guo, Tiantian Xiao, Aiping Liu, Yanli Wang, Hanhua Yang, Chuan Nie, Wei Zhou, Guang Yang, Chunquan Cai, Xiaoguang Zhou, Shujuan Zeng, Yongfu Yu, Long Li, Huifeng Zhang, Lijun Yu, Guoqiang Cheng, Wenhao Zhou, Cheng Chen, Zhangbin Yu, Mingbang Wang, Yingmei Xie
Institutions: Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Longgang Central Hospital, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Bao'an, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, Shenzhen University, Guangdong Province Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Chinese PLA General Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Chinese People's Liberation Army, Tianjin University, Tianjin Children's Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Fudan University, Hebei Medical University, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Harbin Medical University, Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Jinan University, Southern University of Science and Technology, ShenZhen People’s Hospital
Language: English
Topic: Gut microbiota and health
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W4416955614