Gut Bacteria Influence Brain Health and Help to Prevent Neurodegenerative Diseases

In recent years, there has been research and studies done to demonstrate the link between the brain and the gastrointestinal system. Specifically, it's the microorganisms that live inside of us that that is the major factor. These bacteria can be of a positive or negative variety that affect our health. This ranges from our ability to digest food, but they also appear to influence the progression of brain diseases.

A new study published in Nature is helping to show how the central nervous system cells in the brain are being affected by the gut. Two types of cells that are important in the central nervous system were looked at: microglia and astrocytes.

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Microglia account for about 10-15% of all cells in the brain. They are the first form of active immune defense in the central nervous system (CNS) and are key to brain maintenance. They scavenge and get rid of plaques, damaged cells, neurons or synapses, and do other cleaning up tasks.

Astrocytes are star-like formations, are a type of glial cell, and are found int he brain and spinal cord just like other microglia. Estimates are that they compose between 20-40% of all glial cells. Their job incudes biochemical support of endothelial cells, providing nutrients to nervous tissue, maintaining ion balance and repairing the brain and spinal cord after a traumatic injury.

Microglia don't only do good work, they have a negative aspect where they produce compounds that promote neurotoxicity in astrocytes. This neurological damage may is currently though to be contributing factor in the development of diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

Prior studies have shown how the gut bacteria byproducts can promote inflammation in the brain, but this study is the first to show the reverse: microbial products may prevent inflammation in the brain by acting positively with the microglia. Certain bacteria that break down the amino acid tryptophan can promote a reduced inflammation effect in the brain. The byproducts of the tryptophan breakdown cross the blood-brain barrier to activate an anti-inflammatory pathway that limit neurodegeneration in mice being tested.

Human MS brain samples were also tested, which also showed evidence of the same pathway being affected. This pathway has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease and glioblastoma (a brain cancer). This mechanisms in the neurological pathway can also relate to other neurological diseases and can bring potential new therapies for people who suffer from them. Probiotics are going to be looked at to further identify if there are other compounds and byproducts that affect this pathway.

Note that the food you eat can affect the growth of positive or negative microorganisms in your gut as well. It's important to eat healthy. Antibiotics are bacteria killers, and they are known to degrade the amount of positive bacteria in the gastrointestinal system. Eating probiotic foods or taking probiotic supplements can help regrow the good bacteria and maintain optimal health conditions.

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References:

• How the gut influences neurologic disease
• Microbes Affect Brain Cells’ Activities in Mice with Multiple Sclerosis
• Gut Microbe Byproducts May Cool Brain Inflammation
• Veit Rothhammer et al, Microglial control of astrocytes in response to microbial metabolites, Nature (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0119-x
• Microglia
• Astrocyte
• Glioblastoma

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