Precision Psychobiotics for Gut-Brain Axis Health: Advancing the Discovery Pipelines to Deliver Mechanistic Pathways and Proven Health Efficacy.

Advancing microbiome-gut-brain axis science requires systematic, rational and translational approaches to bridge the critical knowledge gaps currently preventing full exploitation of the gut microbiome as a tractable therapeutic target for gastrointestinal, mental and brain health. Current research is still marked by many open questions that undermine widespread application to humans. For example, the lack of mechanistic understanding of probiotic effects means it remains unclear why even apparently closely related strains exhibit different effects in vivo.

Milk Fat Globule Membranes for Mental Health across the Human Lifespan.

The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) contains bioactive proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Polar lipids found in the MFGM play a critical role in maintaining cell membrane integrity and neuronal signalling capacity, thereby supporting brain health. This review summarises the literature on the MFGM and its phospholipid constituents for improvement of mental health across three key stages of the human lifespan, i.

Milk fat globule membranes for psychological and physical health: qualitative results from the Employing Milk Phospholipids to Observe Well-being and Emotional Resilience (EMPOWER) randomised trial.

Background: Milk fat globule membranes (MFGM) present a nutritional intervention with the potential to improve psychological well-being and mitigate the negative effects of stress on health. The present study aimed to investigate participant's experience of different aspects of health during a trial of MFGM supplementation and determine the effect of MFGM on qualitative measures of psychological and physical well-being.

Methods: Seventy-three adults in New Zealand who were enrolled in a clinical trial to test MFGM supplementation for improvement of psychological well-being took part in a post-intervention interview.

Case identification of non-traumatic brain injury in youth using linked population data.

Background: Population-level administrative data provides a cost-effective means of monitoring health outcomes and service needs of clinical populations. This study aimed to present a method for case identification of non-traumatic brain injury in population-level data and to examine the association with sociodemographic factors.

Methods: An estimated resident population of youth aged 0-24 years was constructed using population-level datasets within the New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure.

Age at first exposure to antibiotics and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood.

Rationale: Viral illnesses in children are common and are frequently treated with antibiotic medication. Antibiotics reduce the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota, leading to poor developmental outcomes.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between age at first exposure to antibiotics and cognitive and behavioural development at 4.