Intestinal Microbes Can Help Reverse Brain Aging

On August 9, 2021, research from APC Microbiome Ireland (APC) at University College Cork (UCC), published in the leading international scientific journal Nature Aging, presents a new approach to invert aspects of brain deterioration and cognitive function related to aging through the microbes in the intestine.

As our population ages, one of the leading global challenges is to develop strategies to maintain healthy brain function. This groundbreaking research opens up potentially new therapeutic avenues in the form of microbe-based interventions to decelerate brain aging and associated cognitive problems.

Said work was conducted by researchers from the Brain-Gut-Microbiota laboratory at APC, led by Prof John F. Cryan, Vice President of Research and Innovation, University College Cork, and Principal Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland and SFI Research Centre, based at University College Cork and Teagasc Moorepark.

There is an increasing appreciation of the importance of microbes in the gut in all aspects of physiology and medicine. In this latest study with mice, the authors show that they can rejuvenate aspects of the brain and immune function by transplanting microbes from young to old animals. According to Professor John F. Cryan, previous research published by the APC and other international groups showed that the gut microbiome plays a crucial part in aging and the aging process. This new research is a possible game-changer, as we have established that the microbiome can be harnessed to reverse age-related brain deterioration. We also see evidence of improvement in learning ability and cognitive function.

While it is very exciting, Cryan warns that “it is still early, and much more work is needed to see how these discoveries can be translated into humans.”

The APC Director Prof Paul Ross stated that “this research by Prof. Cryan and colleagues further demonstrate the importance of the gut microbiome in many aspects of health, and particularly across the brain/gut axis, where brain function can be positively affected. The study shows possibilities in the future to modulate the gut microbiota as a therapeutic target to influence brain health.” The study was conducted by co-authors Dr. Marcus Boehme and doctoral students Katherine E. Guzzetta and Thomaz Bastiaansen.

Reference: “Microbiota from young mice counteracts selective age-associated behavioral deficits” by Marcus Boehme, Katherine E. Guzzetta, Thomaz F. S. Bastiaanssen, Marcel van de Wouw, Gerard M. Moloney, Andreu Gual-Grau, Simon Spichak, Loreto Olavarría-Ramírez, Patrick Fitzgerald, Enrique Morillas, Nathaniel L. Ritz, Minal Jaggar, Caitlin S. M. Cowan, Fiona Crispie, Francisco Donoso, Evelyn Halitzki, Marta C. Neto, Marzia Sichetti, Anna V. Golubeva, Rachel S. Fitzgerald, Marcus J. Claesson, Paul D. Cotter, Olivia F. O’Leary, Timothy G. Dinan and John F. Cryan, 9 August 2021, Nature Aging.

Read the original article.