Benefits of exploring the effect of the gut microbiota on the brain

Abstract

Benefits of exploring the effect of the gut microbiota on the brain Danique Mulder, Mirjam Bloemendaal & Alejandro Arias Vásquez from the departments of Psychiatry & Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, look at gut microbiota and our understanding of its effects on the human brain. Dr. Christof Koch, Chief Scientist and President of the Allen Institute for Brain Science once said: “We don’t even understand the brain of a worm,” when asked how close we were to understanding how the human brain works (1). One thing we have been able to discover is that our brain does not function fractionated or in isolation. A wealth of brain studies tells us, in fact, that multiple and sometimes large areas of the brain are involved in even the most mundane memory tasks and when strong emotions are involved, millions of neurons can become more active and help us modify behaviors. Moreover, the brain is intrinsically linked with other bodily functions, including those taking place in the gastro-intestinal tract (GIt).