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microbiota

·December 20, 2022·4 min read

A Protective Probiotic for ALS Found

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HA-114, a non-commercial probiotic reduces neurodegeneration and has neuroprotective effects in lab models of ALS.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 16, 2022·4 min read

Walnuts the New Brain Food for Stress

Walnut consumption was associated with increased improvements in self-reported mental health and stress. It was also linked to improved sleep quality and metabolic biomarkers. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, melatonin, and other vitamins and nutrients associated with mental and gut health.

This is a drawing of a brain and intestines

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·December 15, 2022·7 min read

Microbiota Transfer Therapy Provides Long Term Improvement in Gut Health in Children With Autism

Following microbiota transfer therapy, researchers found improvements in microbial taxa and genes implicated in microbial pathways associated with improved behavioral and physical symptoms of ASD.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·December 15, 2022·4 min read

Poor Gut Health May Drive Multiple Sclerosis, but a Better Diet May Ease It

Researchers found significantly higher levels of Lcn-2 levels in the stools of patients with multiple sclerosis. This marker correlated with reduced bacterial diversity and increases in other markers of intestinal inflammation. Bacteria that ease inflammatory bowel disease were also reduced in MS patients with high fecal levels of Lcn-2 levels.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 14, 2022·4 min read

Gut Microbes Can Boost the Motivation to Exercise

Researchers have identified two gut bacterial species that produce fatty acid amides, stimulating CB1 endocannabinoid receptors in the gut which causes an increase in dopamine in the ventral striatum during exercise.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 2, 2022·6 min read

Peanuts and Herbs and Spices May Positively Impact Gut Microbiome

Consuming one ounce of peanuts or adding one teaspoon of herbs and spices to your daily diet has a positive impact on the health of your gut bacteria and improves immune function.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·December 1, 2022·4 min read

Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Found to Also Improve Gut Flora

Multiple sclerosis patients treated with dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) showed a reduced proportion of pro-inflammatory types of gut bacteria and an increased growth of "good" bacteria after three months of treatment.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·December 1, 2022·5 min read

Gut Microbiome at the Center of Parkinson’s Disease Pathogenesis

Adding to previous research on the gut-brain axis link to Parkinson's disease, researchers discovered the gut microbiome is involved with multiple pathways in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 30, 2022·6 min read

Gut Microbes Influence Binge-Eating of Sweet Treats

The absence of certain gut bacteria causes mice to binge eat sweet, palatable foods. When the bacteria is restored, the desire to binge on sweetened foods decreases, and normal feeding patterns are resumed.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 11, 2022·4 min read

Researchers Pinpoint ‘Depressing’ Gut Microbe With Potential for Psychobiotic Drugs

Examining the gut microbiome of those with major depressive disorder, researchers identify the presence of the bacteria Faecalibacterium prausnitzii as being responsible for the functional discrepancies between healthy individuals and those with MDD.

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Featured Neuroscience

·November 1, 2022·3 min read

How Gut Bacteria Influence the Effects of Cocaine in Mice

Cocaine use supports the growth of γ-proteobacteria, a common gut bacteria that consume glycine. As glycine levels become depleted mouse models exhibit a higher response to cocaine with abnormal behaviors including increased drug-induced locomotion and drug-seeking behaviors.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·November 1, 2022·4 min read

A Gut-Brain Connection for Social Development

Healthy microbes in the gut encourage synaptic pruning in brain circuits associated with social behavior. Previous research has linked both poor synaptic pruning and gut health to neurodevelopmental disorders including ASD. The new findings could pave the way for treatments for disorders associated with social behavior deficits.