CONTROL OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, FUNCTIONAND BEHAVIOUR BY THE MICROBIOME

Humans share an intimate and life-long partnership with a myriad of resident microbial species (fungi, protists and viruses), collectively referred to as the microbiota (Sampson & Marmanian, 2015). The microbiome co-evolved with its human host (Chrobak et al., 2016) and istransferred from the mother to the baby duringlabor, with method of delivery, diet, drugs and medications (especially antibiotics) as the major contributing factorto the process of microbiome developmentin the infant (Sekirov et al., 2010). A growing number of studies indicate that the microbiome of the human intestine may have an impact on the functions of the central nervous system (CNS), through identified pathways called the gut–brain axis. Recent data show that the human microbiome ecosystem interferes with the brain’s development, central signaling systems and behavior. It has been proposed that the disruption of the human microbiome may contribute to the aetiology and course of some psychiatric disorders (Fond et al., 2015). Hence, this study is set to review the effects of microbiome on the development, function and behavioural activities of the brain as several evidence has emerged, suggesting that the gut microbiome as a major player not only in the maturation of GIT tissue and the gut brain axis but also in brain maturation, through its effect on both the immune and endocrine systems (Sajdel-Sulkowska & Zabielski, 2013).