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Accumulating evidence across multiple mammalian species substantiates the importance of the gut microbiome to neurocognitive development and consequent functioning [48, 49]. Early life developmental periods represent critical windows for the impact of commensal gut microbes on the brain, as evidenced by the reversal of behavioral and neurochemical abnormalities in gnotobiotic “germ free” rodents when inoculated with specific pathogen free microbiota during early life, but not during adulthood [50, 51][52]. Dietary factors are a critical determinant of gut microbiota diversity and can alter abundances of bacterial populations, as evident from the microbial plasticity observed in response to pre-and probiotic treatment, as well as the

“dysbiosis” resulting from consuming unhealthy, yet palatable foods that are associated with obesity and metabolic disorders (eg,“Western diet”; foods high in saturated fatty acids and added sugar)[53]. In addition to producing dysbiosis, consumption of these dietary factors also yields long-lasting memory impairments, and these effects are more pronounced when consumed during early life developmental periods vs. during adulthood [54-56]. Whether dietary-induced changes in specific bacterial populations are functionally-related to altered early life neurocognitive outcomes, however, is poorly understood.