Topic: medial extended amygdala

The maternal gestational gut-microbiota has emerged as a potent modulator of neurodevelopment and increasing evidence links its alteration in the etiology of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions. The alar hypothalamus and the medial extended amygdala (EAme) are two key nodes of the social brain closely associated to these disorders. Notably, perinatal microbiota changes have been linked with morphological alterations in both brain regions. Moreover, microbiota-based interventions can modulate endogenous oxytocin levels in the hypothalamus. Hence, we hypothesized that the maternal