Profiling at high taxonomic resolution reveals correlations with cognitive dysfunction in Chinese children with Down syndrome.

INTRODUCTION

Down syndrome (DS), the presence of a supernumerary chromosome 21, is associated with cognitive dysfunction caused by early neurodegenerative processes. Alterations in the gut microbiota were observed in Chinese children with DS, and the genus was associated with cognitive function in these children. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the detailed composition of this group at the species level and to explore the effect of specific species on cognitive function.

METHODS

In this study, -specific amplicon sequencing was conducted to identify the specific Blautia species in 15 children with DS and 15 matched healthy children.

RESULTS

The taxonomic analyses suggested that the taxa were clustered by disease status. The diversity of at the species level differed between DS patients and healthy controls, with the abundances of massiliensis and Blautia argi decreasing in DS children, while was increased. Acetic acid, one of the metabolites of , was significantly reduced in the DS group. Of particular interest, Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes analysis revealed decreased modules related to starch and sucrose metabolism and glycolysis. In addition, was positively related to DS cognitive scores, and was negatively related to cognitive function, implying its role on the DS cognitive impairments.

DISCUSSION

Our study has important implications for understanding the important effects of specific species of Blautia on cognitive function and thus possibly provides a new strategy for future studies of cognitive improvement in individuals with DS.