Research in Asia and Europe has provided further insights into how disruption to communication between the gut and brain could have an effect on anxiety levels and diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Researchers in Singapore, at Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Neuroscience Institute, saw that in mice living in a germ-free environment, those that were not exposed to living microbes (including bacteria, fungi and viruses) had higher levels of anxiety-like behaviour than mice that were exposed.
And when the non-exposed mice were given microbial metabolites, which are produced during the process of obtaining energy and nutrients (metabolism), they showed less anxiety-like behaviour, suggesting a direct link between microbes and mental health.
Patrick Tan, at Duke-NUS, said: “Our findings underscore the deep evolutionary links between microbes, nutrition and brain function.”
Meanwhile, in a study led by the CNR-Institute of Nanotechnology (NANOTEC), Italy, in collaboration with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), in France, researchers investigated how changes in gut composition could lead to Alzheimer's.
By using the ESRF’s synchrotron, which generates extremely bright light via X-rays, to image the tissues of mice that had Alzheimer’s-like characteristics, the team saw that there were changes to cells that normally support gut health and digestion and protect the intestinal lining.
Alessia Cedola, at NANOTEC, said: “This technique represents a real breakthrough for the thorough analysis of the gut, and it could be pivotal in early detection and prognosis of the disease.”