Gut–brain link grabs neuroscientists

Gut bacteria may have impact on mental health, study says

Research opens door to possible treatments for depression based on probiotics

The gut microbiome may influence brain aging, mouse study suggests

A communication pathway between the brain and the gut may be integral to how well the brain holds on to memories

Think Twice: How the Gut's "Second Brain" Influences Mood and Well-Being

The emerging and surprising view of how the enteric nervous system in our bellies goes far beyond just processing the food we eat

The contribution of gut bacterial metabolites in the human immune signaling pathway of non-communicable diseases

The interaction disorder between gut microbiota and its host has been documented in different non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative disease, and autoimmune ...

Fecal transplants for autism deliver success in clinical trials

Scientific research continues to uncover interesting connections between the gut microbiome and human health, including everything from depression to PTSD to autoimmune disease. Another example of this are emerging ties between gut health and autism. Exciting new research, now moving to Phase 3 human trials, has found boosting microbial diversity via fecal transplants can dramatically reduce autism symptoms in the long term.

Antibiotics’ side-effects include immune disease and fewer brain cells

Killing gut microbes that keep immune system in line may have far reaching effects.

Regulation of Intestinal Barrier Function by Microbial Metabolites

The human gastrointestinal tract (GI) harbors a diverse population of microbial life that continually shapes host pathophysiological responses. Despite readily available abundant metagenomic data, the functional dynamics of gut microbiota remain to be explored in various health and disease conditions. Microbiota generate a variety of metabolites from dietary products that influence host health and pathophysiological functions. Since gut microbial metabolites are produced in close proximity to gut epithelium, presumably they have significant impact on gut barrier function and immune responses.

The cognitive cell: bacterial behavior reconsidered

Research on how bacteria adapt to changing environments underlies the contemporary biological understanding of signal transduction, and signal transduction provides the foundation of the information-processing approach that is the hallmark of the ‘cognitive revolution,’ which began in the mid-20th century. Yet cognitive scientists largely remain oblivious to research into microbial behavior that might provide insights into problems in their own domains, while microbiologists seem equally unaware of the potential importance of their work to understanding cognitive capacities in multicellular organisms, including vertebrates. Evidence in bacteria for capacities encompassed by the concept of cognition is reviewed. Parallels exist not only at the heuristic level of functional analogue, but also at the level of molecular mechanism, evolution and ecology, which is where fruitful cross-fertilization among disciplines might be found.

Cognition without brains? Learning and memory in microorganisms

Memory and learning are cognitive abilities typically associated with animals that possess a complex nervous system. Interestingly, recent studies suggest that microorganisms might also display learning-like behaviours. However, a factor limiting progress in this field is the lack of shared, microbe-specific frameworks that allow microbiologists to easily compare discoveries with concepts developed in cognitive sciences. In this review, we aim to bridge this gap by providing a conceptual overview of the definitional requirements for memory and learning to classify microbial behaviours and capabilities. Additionally, we identify and address problems that cause conceptual ambiguity in the microbial cognition literature, thereby facilitating more productive debates on the topic. Finally, we provide a novel perspective on how microbes might ‘learn’ from each other.

Gut microbiome atlas maps how bacteria establish themselves and shift in inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers created a microbiome-wide atlas mapping more than seven million colonization factor genes across 4,716 human gut microbial species, revealing three putative strategies linked to metabolism, stress resistance, and microbial communication. Applying the framework to inflammatory bowel disease showed that colonization-factor profiles can provide a compact, biologically interpretable view of disease-associated microbiome changes.

Opinion | Can Celiac Disease Affect the Brain? (Published 2014)

Some scientists have linked gluten with neurological symptoms.

People less focused on recurrent bad feelings when taking probiotics

People focus less on bad feelings and experiences from the past (i.e. rumination) after four weeks of probiotics administration.

The Microbial Metabolites, Short-Chain Fatty Acids, Regulate Colonic T_reg Cell Homeostasis

Protecting the Guts Regulatory T cells (T regs ) in the gut are important sentinels in maintaining the peace between our gut and its trillions of resident bacteria and have been shown to be regulated by specific strains of bacteria in mouse models. Smith et al. (p. 569 , published online 4 July; see the Perspective by Bollrath and Powrie ) asked whether metabolite(s) generated by resident bacterial species may regulate T regs in the gut. Indeed, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bacterial fermentation products of dietary fibers produced by a range of bacteria, restored colonic T reg numbers in mice devoid of a gut microbiota and increased T reg numbers in colonized mice. The effects of SCFAs on T regs were mediated through GPCR43, a receptor for SCFAs, which is expressed on colonic T regs . Mice fed SCFAs were protected against experimentally induced colitis in a manner that was dependent on GPR43-expressing T regs . , Bacterial fermentation products regulate the number and function of regulatory T cells in the mouse colon. [Also see Perspective by Bollrath and Powrie ] , Regulatory T cells (T regs ) that express the transcription factor Foxp3 are critical for regulating intestinal inflammation. Candidate microbe approaches have identified bacterial species and strain-specific molecules that can affect intestinal immune responses, including species that modulate T reg responses. Because neither all humans nor mice harbor the same bacterial strains, we posited that more prevalent factors exist that regulate the number and function of colonic T regs . We determined that short-chain fatty acids, gut microbiota–derived bacterial fermentation products, regulate the size and function of the colonic T reg pool and protect against colitis in a Ffar2 -dependent manner in mice. Our study reveals that a class of abundant microbial metabolites underlies adaptive immune microbiota coadaptation and promotes colonic homeostasis and health.

Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 2648 is a potential probiotic that enhances intestinal barrier function: Lactobacillus plantarum enhances intestinal barrier function

Abstract. The aim of this research was to identify bacterial isolates having the potential to improve intestinal barrier function. Lactobacillus plantarum

The gut-bone axis: how bacterial metabolites bridge the distance

1Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.

Getting antibiotics as a baby may have lasting effects on brain, behavior

Mouse study backs up human observations showing long-term changes.