A mother mouse’s gut microbes help wire her pup’s brain

Research in mice links mom’s gut microbes to her baby’s sensory connections

Mouse mom with pups

In experiments with lab mice, the microbes living in a pregnant mouse’s gut played a role in her babies’ brain development. Mothers without microbes had pups with fewer signal-conveying links between areas important for making sense of sensory information.

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New findings in mice suggest yet another role for gut microbes, even before birth.