Synopsis

In this Grand Round we will try to answer this question by looking at associations between the intestinal microbiota and the child’s health and behaviour. Professor Carolina de Weerth will discuss the role that the gut bacteria play in our bodies. Then, using a developmental perspective, she will show how infants acquire gut bacteria and how the internal and external environments influence the ‘quality’ of childrens’ microbiota. Factors include mode of delivery, antibiotic exposure, and maternal stress. Possible consequences of imbalances in intestinal bacteria will be discussed, ranging from effects on BMI and immunity to colic and autism.

Speaker

Carolina de Weerth is Professor in the Department of Developmental Psychology of the Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and a developmental psychobiologist at the Behavioral Science Institute. Her research focuses on early development, from pregnancy to middle childhood, especially in the community and among vulnerable populations. She has three main lines of research: first, the influences of prenatal maternal stress and anxiety on the children’s health and behavioural development; second, the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in children, the bodies most important stress system, and its relation to behavioural and emotional regulation and physical health. And third, the development of the intestinal microbiota, and its relation to children’s health, behavioural and emotion regulation, and links to HPA axis. Carolina’s visit to the Melbourne Children’s Campus is supported by a grant from the Creswick Foundation.