Scientists have found previously that there is a relationship between the gut and the brain. This new research further strengthens this finding. The new research, which was published recently in the journal Nature Communications, reports that infants who have uneven gut microbiome have a strong fear response (how someone reacts to a scary situation), while those who have even gut microbiome have a milder reaction.
Uneven microbiomes are dominated by a small set of bacteria, whereas even microbiomes are more balanced.
The researchers also discovered that the content of the microbial community at 1 year of age related to fear responses. Compared with less fearful children, infants with heightened responses had more of some types of bacteria and less of others.
The team, however, did not observe a connection between the children's gut microbiome and how the children reacted to strangers who weren't wearing masks. Knickmeyer said this is likely due to the different parts of the brain involved with processing potentially frightening situations.
More about this over at Science Daily.
(Image Credit: Mylene2401/ Pixabay)