The University of California, Davis has been awarded a $423,657 Project Grant (CFDA 93.113 - Environmental Health) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study the impact of neonatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The research aims to determine if neonatal PFOA exposure leads to long-term deficits in the microbiota-gut-brain axis, including impacts on gut physiology and behavior, as well as whether neonatal PFOA exposure increases susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease in adulthood. The award has a period of performance from July 2023 to June 2025. These proposed studies seek to elucidate PFOA as a potential environmental risk factor for gut-brain deficits associated with inflammatory bowel disease.