Urban living and infant brain development: a gut-brain link
Official title: Impact of Urbanicity on Infant Brain Structure and Function via the Gut-Brain Axis
Funded at Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences · NIH-11451272 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A short study in infants will explore how growing up in cities might shape brain development and gut microbes, which could influence later mental health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (East Lansing, United States) |
| Project start | August 19, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $431,750 |
| NIH project number | 1R21HD121237-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11451272 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Infants and their families in urban and non-urban settings who are part of the ORIGINs imaging cohort or similar infant imaging studies.
✕Less likely to help
Families not participating in imaging or stool-sampling components may not experience direct benefits.
What this research studies
This NIH-funded project will look at infants from urban and non-urban settings to see how the environment influences brain structure and function in the first year of life. Researchers will examine the gut microbiome as a possible mechanism linking city life to brain development, using existing imaging data from the ORIGINs consortium. The goal is to identify neural and microbial patterns that relate to early-life urban exposure, laying the groundwork for future interventions. The study is designed to be observational and non-invasive, focusing on brain imaging and stool samples collected during the first year.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could inform strategies to support healthy brain development in urban-born children and reduce risk factors for later mental health challenges.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work supports links between early environment, gut microbiome, and brain development, but this project tests a specific urbanicity-brain-microbiome pathway in infancy.
Where this research is happening
-
Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences
East Lansing, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Knickmeyer, Rebecca — Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Knickmeyer, Rebecca
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.