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Nutrients
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Nutrition and Central Nervous System Development in Early Life
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Nutrition and Central Nervous System Development in Early Life

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2022) | Viewed by 7121

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Asim K. Duttaroy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
Interests: lipids and brain development; fatty acid uptake system in human placenta; angiogenesis; feto-placental growth and development; DHA and cell growth and proliferation; lipid nutrition; eicosanoids; cardiovascular health; platelet function
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adequate nutrition is essential during pregnancy and infancy, which are crucial periods for the formation of the brain, laying the foundation for the development of cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional skills throughout life. The neurodevelopmental processes begin during gestation and continue throughout infancy. Several animal models of nutrient deficiency and some human studies clearly show that many nutrients are necessary for early brain development.  Thus, nutritional deficiencies during these periods are likely to affect cognition, behaviour, and productivity throughout school and adulthood. The effects of nutrients during early development on five key neurodevelopmental processes are demonstrated: neuron proliferation, axon and dendrite growth, synapse formation, pruning, function, myelination, and neuron apoptosis.   Thus, adequate nutrition is necessary from the beginning, with the formation of the neural plate and neural tube affected by nutrients. The influence of nutrient deficiency during pregnancy and infancy leads to permanent cognitive deficits in human populations. The amount and quality of nutrients and their lack during these periods affect brain development.

The Special Issue will highlight the early nutritional effects on brain development and functions such as cognition, behaviour, and productivity. The articles are invited on the impacts of several nutrients in pregnancy and infancy that affect brain development. This primary aim is to put together high-quality research, clinical or experimental, that looks for the effects of nutrition during prenatal and postnatal brain development and also neuroprotection.

Prof. Dr. Asim K. Duttaroy
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • central nervous system
  • brain development
  • neuronal plasticity
  • fetal brain
  • prenatal nutrition
  • neuroplasticity
  • brain signalling system
  • neurotransmitters
  • brain damages/disorders
  • micronutrients

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1449 KiB  
Article
Short- and Long-Term Effects of Suboptimal Selenium Intake and Developmental Lead Exposure on Behavior and Hippocampal Glutamate Receptors in a Rat Model
by Anna Maria Tartaglione, Melania Maria Serafini, Francesca Ferraris, Andrea Raggi, Annalisa Mirabello, Rita Di Benedetto, Laura Ricceri, Miriam Midali, Francesco Cubadda, Luisa Minghetti, Barbara Viviani and Gemma Calamandrei
Nutrients 2022, 14(16), 3269; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14163269 - 10 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1588
Abstract
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element required for normal development as well as to counteract the adverse effects of environmental stressors. Conditions of low Se intake are present in some European countries. Our aim was to investigate the short- and long-term effects [...] Read more.
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element required for normal development as well as to counteract the adverse effects of environmental stressors. Conditions of low Se intake are present in some European countries. Our aim was to investigate the short- and long-term effects of early-life low Se supply on behavior and synaptic plasticity with a focus on the hippocampus, considering both suboptimal Se intake per se and its interaction with developmental exposure to lead (Pb). We established an animal model of Se restriction and low Pb exposure; female rats fed with an optimal (0.15 mg/kg) or suboptimal (0.04 mg/kg) Se diet were exposed from one month pre-mating until the end of lactation to 12.5 µg/mL Pb via drinking water. In rat offspring, the assessment of motor, emotional, and cognitive endpoints at different life stages were complemented by the evaluation of the expression and synaptic distribution of NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits at post-natal day (PND) 23 and 70 in the hippocampus. Suboptimal Se intake delayed the achievement of developmental milestones and induced early and long-term alterations in motor and emotional abilities. Behavioral alterations were mirrored by a drop in the expression of the majority of NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits analyzed at PND 23. The suboptimal Se status co-occurring with Pb exposure induced a transient body weight increase and persistent anxiety-like behavior. From the molecular point of view, we observed hippocampal alterations in NMDA (Glun2B and GluN1) and AMPA receptor subunit trafficking to the post-synapse in male rats only. Our study provides evidence of potential Se interactions with Pb in the developing brain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Central Nervous System Development in Early Life)
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Review

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16 pages, 1107 KiB  
Review
Maternal Obesity and Gut Microbiota Are Associated with Fetal Brain Development
by Sanjay Basak, Ranjit K. Das, Antara Banerjee, Sujay Paul, Surajit Pathak and Asim K. Duttaroy
Nutrients 2022, 14(21), 4515; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14214515 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4425
Abstract
Obesity in pregnancy induces metabolic syndrome, low-grade inflammation, altered endocrine factors, placental function, and the maternal gut microbiome. All these factors impact fetal growth and development, including brain development. The lipid metabolic transporters of the maternal-fetal-placental unit are dysregulated in obesity. Consequently, the [...] Read more.
Obesity in pregnancy induces metabolic syndrome, low-grade inflammation, altered endocrine factors, placental function, and the maternal gut microbiome. All these factors impact fetal growth and development, including brain development. The lipid metabolic transporters of the maternal-fetal-placental unit are dysregulated in obesity. Consequently, the transport of essential long-chain PUFAs for fetal brain development is disturbed. The mother’s gut microbiota is vital in maintaining postnatal energy homeostasis and maternal-fetal immune competence. Obesity during pregnancy changes the gut microbiota, affecting fetal brain development. Obesity in pregnancy can induce placental and intrauterine inflammation and thus influence the neurodevelopmental outcomes of the offspring. Several epidemiological studies observed an association between maternal obesity and adverse neurodevelopment. This review discusses the effects of maternal obesity and gut microbiota on fetal neurodevelopment outcomes. In addition, the possible mechanisms of the impacts of obesity and gut microbiota on fetal brain development are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Central Nervous System Development in Early Life)
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