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Nutrients
Special Issues
Nutritional Influences on Cognitive Function and Neurodevelopment Across the Lifespan
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Nutritional Influences on Cognitive Function and Neurodevelopment Across the Lifespan

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Neuro Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 January 2026) | Viewed by 14065

Editors

Prof. Dr. Dolores Malaspina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Interests: lifecourse exposures; biology; mental health
Dr. Ezequiel Lafont

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Interests: anti Inflammatory diets; dietary neuroinflammation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As you certainly know, the intricate relationship between nutrition and brain health has become an increasingly important area of research. For this reason, we are pleased to invite you to contribute to our upcoming Special Issue, "Nutritional Influences on Cognitive Function and Neurodevelopment Across the Lifespan", in the Nutrients journal.

The brain relies on a consistent supply of essential nutrients for optimal functioning, from early development to maintaining cognitive health in aging. However, genetic predispositions, epigenetic modifications, and environmental factors can interact with nutritional status to impact brain development and function. Imbalances in these interactions can contribute to developmental disorders in childhood, compromised cognitive abilities in adulthood, and an increased risk of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.

This Special Issue aims to explore the critical role of nutrition in shaping cognitive function and neurodevelopment throughout all stages of life. We encourage the submission of original research articles, reviews, and meta-analyses. Potential topics include but are not limited to nutritional influences on fetal brain development and early childhood cognition, dietary patterns and their long-term effects on brain health, the gut microbiome and its relation to cognitive

function, or dietary interventions for preventing or mitigating age-related cognitive decline.

We look forward to hearing your response and reviewing your submissions in the near future.

Prof. Dr. Dolores Malaspina
Guest Editor

Dr. Ezequiel Lafont
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutrition
  • neurodevelopment
  • cognition
  • dietary habits
  • micronutrients and cognition
  • neurodegenerative diseases
  • gut microbiome and brain
  • food allergies
  • early life nutrition
  • cognitive aging
  • nutritional interventions
  • processed food addiction

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 572 KB  
Article
School-Age Neurodevelopmental and Atopy Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants: Follow-Up from the Single Versus Triple-Strain Bifidobacterium Randomized Controlled Trial
by Gayatri Athalye-Jape, Chandra Rath, Meera Esvaran, Angela Jacques and Sanjay Patole
Nutrients 2026, 18(1), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18010141 - 1 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1202
Abstract
Background: Probiotic supplementation for very preterm infants is a common practice in many neonatal units. Assessing the effects of early postnatal exposure to probiotics on long-term neurodevelopment, growth, and atopy-related outcomes is important. Extremely preterm (EP: <28 weeks) infants enrolled in our previously [...] Read more.
Background: Probiotic supplementation for very preterm infants is a common practice in many neonatal units. Assessing the effects of early postnatal exposure to probiotics on long-term neurodevelopment, growth, and atopy-related outcomes is important. Extremely preterm (EP: <28 weeks) infants enrolled in our previously reported randomized trial (SiMPro) comparing short-term effects of single (SS: B. breve M-16V) versus triple-strain (TS: B. breve M-16V, B. longum subsp. infantis-M63, B. longum subsp. longum-BB536) probiotic provided a unique opportunity to study this issue. Methods: This follow-up study assessed the five-year outcomes of SiMPro trial infants, including neurodevelopment (cognition (Full Scale Intelligence Quotient/ FSIQ using WPPSI-IV), behavior (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), executive function (BRIEF–P)), growth (anthropometry) and blood pressure (BP). Atopy-related outcomes were evaluated at six to seven years using the ISAAC questionnaire. A linear mixed model was used for longitudinal outcomes. Impairment indicators were modeled using logistic regression and adjusted for Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) centiles. Results: Follow-up rates (SS: 89.2% versus TS: 95%), neurodevelopmental outcomes [severe impairment (FSIQ < 70): SS: 7.4% versus TS: 4.3%; p = 0.68], growth, BMI, and BP were comparable between the SS and TS groups. The total difficulty score or BRIEF–P executive indices, disability rates (none: 66.7% versus 55.4%), and atopy-related outcomes were comparable between groups. Conclusions: Both TS and SS Bifidobacterium probiotic formulations were safe, with comparable neurodevelopmental, growth, and atopy-related outcomes at school age. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Influences on Cognitive Function and Neurodevelopment Across the Lifespan)
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Review

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25 pages, 1052 KB  
Review
Gut Microbiota Impact on Cognitive Function in Humans
by Soghra Bagheri, Ireneusz Ryszkiel and Agata Stanek
Nutrients 2026, 18(3), 369; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18030369 - 23 Jan 2026
Viewed by 2277
Abstract
The human gut microbiome and its relationship with both physiological and pathological functions have long intrigued researchers. One of the most fascinating and important areas within this domain is cognitive function. Given that a substantial number of studies, especially interventional ones, have been [...] Read more.
The human gut microbiome and its relationship with both physiological and pathological functions have long intrigued researchers. One of the most fascinating and important areas within this domain is cognitive function. Given that a substantial number of studies, especially interventional ones, have been conducted on animal models, the findings of which are not fully generalizable to humans and may therefore be misinterpreted, the purpose of this study is to synthesize evidence from the most recent human research. Current evidence indicates that the gut microbiota is linked to cognitive function in both healthy and diseased states, with numerous studies suggesting a potential causal relationship between the two. Although the majority of these studies associate changes in cognitive function with differences in the composition of the gut microbiota, some findings also indicate an inverse relationship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Influences on Cognitive Function and Neurodevelopment Across the Lifespan)
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24 pages, 3495 KB  
Review
Dietary Patterns and Brain Health in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Narrative Review
by Jamie A. Seabrook, Abolfazl Avan, Colleen O’Connor, Harry Prapavessis, Lindsay Nagamatsu, Jasna Twynstra, Saverio Stranges, Arlene MacDougall and Vladimir Hachinski
Nutrients 2025, 17(9), 1436; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17091436 - 24 Apr 2025
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 9723
Abstract
Diet has a profound impact on brain health, particularly in middle-aged and older adults, who are at increased risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. Various dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for [...] Read more.
Diet has a profound impact on brain health, particularly in middle-aged and older adults, who are at increased risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. Various dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets, have been linked to improved cognitive function. While the relative effectiveness of these diets on brain health is generally supported by evidence, variability in study results suggests that further research is needed to fully understand their effects across diverse populations. The objective of this descriptive narrative review is to examine the role of dietary patterns in supporting brain health in aging populations and to propose practical dietary strategies for promoting cognitive well-being. A comprehensive review of the existing literature was conducted on PubMed in October 2024, with no restrictions on language, publication date (1966–2024), or geographic location. A total of 18 articles were included in this review, covering the years 2013–2023. Studies assessing the impact of the MedDiet, DASH, MIND, and Western diets on cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults were prioritized. The research findings were synthesized to identify common and unique recommendations across these dietary patterns. The MedDiet consistently showed beneficial effects on cognitive health, including improved memory, processing speed, and long-term protection against neurodegenerative conditions. The DASH and MIND diets demonstrated potential benefits, particularly for specific cognitive domains, but the results were more mixed and inconclusive. In contrast, adherence to a Western diet was associated with negative cognitive outcomes, including cognitive decline and smaller brain volumes. These findings underscore the importance of adopting healthy dietary patterns as a modifiable lifestyle factor to support cognitive aging and inform future public health strategies and clinical guidelines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Influences on Cognitive Function and Neurodevelopment Across the Lifespan)
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