Abstract DP039: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Mitigates Chronic Inflammation and Behavioral Deficits After Neonatal Brain Injury

Chronic inflammation persists for years after neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), impairing brain development and offering a target for chronic therapy. Growing evidence links gut microbiota to neurodevelopment and chronic inflammation. We hypothesized that HIE disrupts the gut microbiota and that microbiome restoration can reduce inflammation and improve outcomes. Using the Rice-Vannucci model, we compared pups with HIE vs controls (hypoxia alone or naïve). Gut inflammation was assessed histologically, by qPCR, and gene expression profiling (NanoString nCounter). Microbiota composition was analyzed at 24 hours and 5 months post-HIE by 16S rRNA sequencing. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from naïve donors was performed into HIE or hypoxia-sham mice and vice versa. Flow cytometry was conducted at 5 months, and behavioral testing was performed longitudinally. HIE brain injury, but not hypoxia alone, caused acute gut injury and elevated TNF-α (p