Longitudinal Associations Between Pubertal Hormones and White Matter Microstructure

The rapid development of white matter (WM) is a key neurobiological process that characterizes adolescence. Puberty, which marks the beginning of adolescence, plays a fundamental role in these developments, particularly through the coordinated release of hormones (Dahl et al., 2018). However, it remains unclear how pubertal hormones influence WM connectivity in humans, as few longitudinal studies have directly measured hormones and WM development together. To address this gap, the present study will densely sample hormones of 157 adolescent girls across three timepoints to examine whether changes in basal hormone levels are associated with changes in WM. To assess WM microstructure, we will quantify the mean fractional anisotropy (FA) of 42 WM tracts using a longitudinal probabilistic tractography pipeline trained on manually annotated tracts from the Human Connectome Project (Maffei et al., 2021). Basal estimates for estradiol, testosterone, and DHEA will be calculated from approximately four saliva samples collected from each participant at each timepoint. We will then use linear mixed effects models to assess the relationship between mean FA and basal estimates for each hormone and tract pair, with and without controlling for age. By exploring the longitudinal relationship between pubertal hormones and FA of major tracts, this descriptive analysis will help clarify how pubertal hormones may influence the development of WM microstructure in humans

Maternal Diet Associated with Oligosaccharide Abundances in Human Milk from Latina Mothers

Growing evidence indicates that human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are important bioactive compounds that enhance health and developmental outcomes in breastfed babies. Maternal dietary intake likely contributes to variation in HMO composition, but studies identifying diet–HMO relationships are few and inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate how the maternal intake of macronutrients and micronutrients—specifically proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals—associated with HMOs at 1 month (n = 210), 6 months (n = 131), and 12 months postpartum (n = 84). Several associations between maternal dietary factors and HMO profiles were identified utilizing partial correlation analysis. For example, maternal free sugar (rho = −0.02, p < 0.01), added sugar (rho = −0.22, p < 0.01), and sugary sweetened beverage (rho = −0.22, p < 0.01) intake were negatively correlated with the most abundant HMO, 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL), at 1 month, suggesting that higher sugar consumption was associated with reduced levels of 2′-FL. Further, vitamins D, C, K, and the minerals zinc and potassium were positively correlated with 2′-FL at 1 month (pAll < 0.05). For the longitudinal analysis, a mixed-effects linear regression model revealed significant associations between maternal vitamin intake and HMO profiles over time. For example, for each unit increase in niacin intake, there was a 31.355 nmol/mL increase in 2′-FL concentration (p = 0.03). Overall, the results provide additional evidence supporting a role for maternal nutrition in shaping HMO profiles, which may inform future intervention strategies with the potential of improving infant growth and development through optimal HMO levels in mothers’ milk