A study published this week in
Nature sheds new light on the connection between the gut and the brain, untangling the complex interplay that allows the byproducts of microorganisms living in the gut to influence the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have been using both animal models and human cells from patients to tease out the key players involved in the gut-brain connection as well as in the crosstalk between immune cells and brain cells. Their new publication defines a pathway that may help guide therapies for multiple sclerosis and other neurologic diseases.
"These findings provide a clear understanding of how the gut impacts central nervous system resident cells in the
brain," said corresponding author Francisco Quintana, Ph.D., of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at BWH. "Now that we have an idea of the players involved, we can begin to go after them to develop new therapies."
The new research focuses on the influence of
gut microbes on two types of cells that play a major role in the central nervous system: microglia and astrocytes. Microglia are an integral part of the body's immune system, responsible for scavenging the CNS and getting rid of plaques, damaged cells and other materials that need to be cleared. But microglia can also secrete compounds that induce neurotoxic properties on the star-shaped brain
cells known as astrocytes. This damage is thought to contribute to many
neurologic diseases, including
multiple sclerosis.
