Abstract
During the last years, accumulating evidence has suggested that the gut microbiota plays a key role in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases via the gut–brain axis. Moreover, current research has helped to elucidate different communication pathways between the gut microbiota and neural tissues (e.g., the vagus nerve, tryptophan production, extrinsic enteric-associated neurons, and short chain fatty acids). On the other hand, altering the composition of gut microbiota promotes a state known as dysbiosis, where the balance between helpful and pathogenic bacteria is disrupted, usually stimulating the last ones. Herein, we summarize selected findings of the recent literature concerning the gut microbiome on the onset and progression of neurodevelopmental and degenerative disorders, and the strategies to modulate its composition in the search for therapeutical approaches, focusing mainly on animal models studies. Readers are advised that this is a young field, based on early studies, that is rapidly growing and being updated as the field advances.
Highlights
The human body is an ecosystem carrying an incredible diversity of all kinds of microbes that work collectively as a metabolic organ finely tuned and interconnected with host physiology
Other reasons the gut microbiota have been studied more than microbes in other parts of the body include the fact that stool samples are accepted as a good read-out of the bacteria present in the lining of the gut and are easy to obtain
Gut microbiota perform several functions, such as protection against pathogens, digestion, and production of nutrients, and collaborate in stimulating the immune system [4]. These functions are triggered by metabolites derived from the microbial fermentation of dietary polysaccharides as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), of which the majority consist of acetate, propionate, and butyrate [5]
Summary
The human body is an ecosystem carrying an incredible diversity of all kinds of microbes that work collectively as a metabolic organ finely tuned and interconnected with host physiology. Gut microbiota perform several functions, such as protection against pathogens, digestion, and production of nutrients, and collaborate in stimulating the immune system [4]. In part, these functions are triggered by metabolites derived from the microbial fermentation of dietary polysaccharides as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), of which the majority consist of acetate, propionate, and butyrate [5]. Growing evidence supports a role of gut microbiota in the onset of ischemic stroke [6], epilepsy [7], Parkinson’s disease [8], depression, and schizophrenia [9]. In this review, we summarized selected findings including experiments with human and rodents, whose relevance in vivo for humans might still be a matter of further investigation
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