Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41972726›Full record

SynthesisCells2026

Early-Life Microbiota Modulation and Neurodevelopment in Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Salvatore Michele Carnazzo, Fabio Allia, Alice Foti, Marilena Briglia, Marcello Maida, Adriana Carol Eleonora Graziano, Andrea Domenico Praticò

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cells, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Salvatore Michele CarnazzoDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna "Kore", 94100 Enna, Italy.ORCID 0009-0006-2557-9559
Fabio AlliaDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna "Kore", 94100 Enna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0011-9015
Alice FotiDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna "Kore", 94100 Enna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7487-155X
Marilena BrigliaDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna "Kore", 94100 Enna, Italy.
Marcello MaidaDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna "Kore", 94100 Enna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4992-9289
Adriana Carol Eleonora GrazianoDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna "Kore", 94100 Enna, Italy.
Andrea Domenico PraticòDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna "Kore", 94100 Enna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5231-7921

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Changes in microbial composition during early infancy by various factors (mode of delivery, nutritional practices, antibiotic usage, and environmental influences) have been correlated with observable variances in cognitive abilities, temperament, stress response, and the predisposition to neurodevelopmental disorders. Consequently, microbiota-targeted interventions such as probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics are being explored as avenues to enrich beneficial microbial taxa, enhance short-chain fatty acid production, fortify mucosal immunity, and mitigate inflammatory responses during these critical periods. Preclinical research, primarily in experimental animal models, has demonstrated a causal link between microbiota composition and developmental processes such as myelination, synaptic plasticity, and socio-emotional behaviors, whereas human evidence remains largely associative and heterogeneous. A notable gap exists in the current literature, which typically centers on gastrointestinal, psychiatric, or preterm outcomes, without a focused investigation into neurodevelopmental assessments within the first three years. To bridge this gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on neurodevelopment and behavior in infants aged 0-36 months. Our primary objective was to establish whether microbiota-targeted strategies confer discernible neurodevelopmental benefits, alongside elucidating the mechanisms underpinning the relationship between microbial modulation and early brain development.

Indexed as

Gastrointestinal MicrobiomeMicrobiotaNeurodevelopmentAnimalsBrainHumansInfantInfant, NewbornPrebioticsProbioticsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSynbioticsPrebioticsearly-life microbiota modulationgut–brain axisgut microbiotainfant neurodevelopmentprebioticsprobioticsrandomized controlled trialssynbiotics

Identifiers

PMID41972726
PMCPMC13072312

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.