You may have missed these publications in the recent rush of microbiome and germ-free research news, but researchers are making interesting connections between the gut microbiome and neurological functioning. Four studies examined relationships between the gut microbiome and mood, behavior, disease risk, and development.
Prenatal Stress, the Microbiome, and DevelopmentPrenatal stress disrupts social behavior, cortical neurobiology and commensal microbes in adult male offspring. Scientists at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital found that maternal stress influences the development of the microflora and behavior in adult male mice.
Gut Microbes, Anxiety, and DepressionGut microbes may contribute to depression and anxiety in obesity. This study, from the Joslin Diabetes Center, links gut microbes with signs of negative feelings and brain chemistry.
Brain Development and Intestinal MicrobiotaEffects of Intestinal Microbiota on Brain Development in Humanized Gnotobiotic Mice, a collaboration between researchers at the University of Chicago, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, examined differences in neurological growth and development in germ-free mice colonized with two different sets of preterm infant fecal samples.
Stress, Sex, and the MicrobiomeA collaborative study by researchers from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, the Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the Department of Medicine at the University of Florida provides interesting insights into the interactions between stress and sex in microbial responses within the gut-brain access.
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