Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of: Gut Microbes, 16(1), 2431648. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2024.2431648 Dr. Adewale S. James et al. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1589. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84780-8 Dr. Santosh Kumar Prajapati et al.
Points
- A probiotic cocktail containing ten bacterial strains significantly reduced Alzheimer’s disease markers and cognitive decline in a mouse model, suggesting a potential preventative therapy targeting the gut microbiome.
- Mice treated for 16 weeks showed improved memory performance and reduced neuroinflammation, with males responding more strongly than females to the treatment’s anti-inflammatory effects.
- Parallel human data from the MiaGB consortium linked age-related changes in the gut virome, especially bacteriophages, to cognitive decline and altered bacterial metabolic pathways.
- These virome shifts were associated with increased cognitive impairment, highlighting the role of phage-bacteriome interactions in aging and dementia.
- The studies support microbiome-based therapies, including probiotics and phage interventions, as promising strategies for mitigating cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease progression.
Summary
This research investigates the role of the microbiome in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cognitive decline, focusing on the potential of probiotics and the virome in modulating cognitive health. A study led by Dr. Hariom Yadav explored the effects of a unique probiotic cocktail consisting of ten bacterial strains on AD pathology in a humanized mouse model (APP/PS1 strain). Mice were given 1×10^11 CFU/day for 16 weeks, leading to significant reductions in cognitive decline, measured via the Morris Water Maze test. Additionally, the treatment decreased AD markers such as Aβ aggregation, microglia activation, and neuroinflammation. Interestingly, females showed less improvement in specific inflammatory markers than males, indicating sex-dependent mechanisms. The findings suggest that probiotics can modulate the microbiome, reduce gut permeability, and improve the blood-brain barrier, potentially offering a prophylactic approach to mitigate cognitive decline in AD patients.
Further investigation was conducted into the human microbiome’s role in aging and cognitive function using data from the Microbiome in Aging Gut and Brain (MiaGB) consortium. A cohort of 176 individuals across different age groups revealed that the virome, particularly bacteriophages, changes with age and is linked to cognitive decline. The study demonstrated that phage-bacteriome interactions influence bacterial metabolic pathways, possibly contributing to dementia. As individuals aged, the virome became increasingly enriched with bacteriophages, and changes in their interactions with the bacteriome were linked to cognitive impairment. These results underline the importance of the gut virome in aging and highlight potential therapeutic avenues through phage therapy to improve brain health in older adults.
Both studies underscore the significant impact of the microbiome on brain health, focusing on the gut-brain connection. The probiotic cocktail offers a promising therapeutic intervention for AD by modulating the gut microbiome. At the same time, the virome and its interactions with the bacteriome could provide insights into new treatments for dementia. These findings pave the way for further clinical trials to assess the efficacy of microbiome-based therapies in preventing or slowing cognitive decline, ultimately improving the quality of life for individuals at risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
Link to the article:
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-84780-8
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19490976.2024.2431648
References James, A. S., Adil, N. A., Goltz, D., Tangudu, D., Chaudhari, D. S., Shukla, R., Kumar, V., Kumar, A., Masternak, M. M., Holland, P., Labyak, C., Golden, A., Dangiolo, M., Arikawa, A. Y., Kociolek, J., Fraser, A., Williams, C., Agronin, M., Aymat, M., … Yadav, H. (2024). Abnormalities in gut virome signatures linked with cognitive impairment in older adults. Gut Microbes, 16(1), 2431648. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2024.2431648
