Repeated antibiotic drug treatment negatively affects memory function and glutamatergic nervous system of the hippocampus in mice

Abstract

The gut microbiota is associated with memory; however, the relationship between dysbiosis-induced memory deficits and hippocampal glutamatergic neurons remains unclear. In our study, a mouse dysbiosis model showed impaired memory-related behavior in the passive avoidance test; decreased expression levels of glutaminase, excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT)1, EAAT2, vesicular glutamate transporter 2, synaptophysin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, doublecortin, neuronal nuclear protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and S100β; and decreased phosphorylation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 1, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor subunit 1, and cAMP response element-binding protein in the hippocampus. This suggests that dysbiosis-induced memory dysfunction is associated with the hippocampal glutamatergic nervous system.