Neurocognitive and social-communicative function of children born very preterm at 10 years of age: Associations with microorganisms recovered from the placenta parenchyma.

Martha Scott Tomlinson, Hudson P Santos, Jill R Stewart, Robert Joseph, Alan Leviton, Andrew B Onderdonk, Karl C K Kuban, Timothy Heeren, T Michael O’Shea, Rebecca C Fry, ELGAN Study Investigators

J Perinatol. 2020 Feb;40(2):306-315.

PubMed Link

Study Aim to determine whether specific bacterial species in placenta of EP pregnancies are associated with later neurological deficits. Using data from 807 children in the ELGAN study, risks of a low score on six neurological assessments in relation to 15 microbes quantified with ORs. Certain microbe species in placenta were associated with lower scores on numerical and oral language assessments. Lactobacillus sp. was associated with decreased risk of a low oral language score and on a composite measure of IQ and EF. Placental microorganisms were associated with neurocognitive, but not social-communicative, outcomes at age 10. In contrast, presence of anti-inflammatory Lactobacillus sp. in placenta was associated with lower risk of impaired neurocognitive functions.