The human gut harbors trillions of microorganisms that collectively encode a metabolic repertoire far exceeding our own genome. The Bonham Lab is interested investigating how this microbial community is established in the first years of life, how it is shaped by host and environmental factors, and how it influences brain development and long-term cognitive, behavioral, and neurological outcomes.
Using data from large multi-site cohort studies, we combine shotgun metagenomic sequencing of stool with neuroimaging, cognitive assessments, and behavioral measures to map the developing microbiome onto the developing brain. A central focus is identifying which microbial taxa and functions matter, when during early life they matter most, and how social and environmental context shapes the microbiome-brain axis.
Current directions include developing computational models to model the early life microbiome to establish normative patterns of succession, and investigating stress responses in an important early-life microbe, Bifidobacterium infantis.