ALS and gut bacteria linked in “remarkable” new Harvard study

Mutations in a gene called C9orf72 account for more familial cases of ALS than any other genetic variant. ALS is generally thought to be caused by a relatively equal balance of genetic and environmental factors and, although researchers have homed in on a number of particular genetic variants that can be associated with the disease, it is still unknown what particular environmental elements play a role. This new research stemmed from an initial unexpected observation. Mice bred with C9orf72 mutations designed to model ALS displayed significantly different health effects at two separate locations.

“Many of the inflammatory characteristics that we observed consistently and repeatedly in our Harvard facility mice weren’t present in the Broad facility mice,” explains lead author of the new study, Aaron Burberry. “Even more strikingly, the Broad facility mice survived into old age. After investigating a number of potential variables that could account for these substantially different health outcomes, the researchers focused in on differences in the animal’s microbial flora as the possible primary factor. DNA sequencing indeed confirmed a number of microbial differences between the two cohorts of mice, despite similar lab conditions. [Similar findings from further investigations with other labs etc.]

More at: https://newatlas.com/science/als-gut-bacteria-microbiome-harvard-study/

The Microbiome in Mood Disorders Carlat Reports / Carlat Publishing

The mind-gut connection is implicated in psychiatric disorders from autism to schizophrenia, and the International Society for Bipolar Disorders 2020 conference featured a review of this research in bipolar and depression.

https://www.thecarlatreport.com/blog/the-microbiome-in-mood-disorders/

Prediabetes associated with bacterial shifts in the gut microbiome

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have for the first time studied the gut microbiome of subjects with prediabetes. The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, reveals a person’s unique gut bacteria population could be used to predict their likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.

The new study arose out of the observation that, while some research has previously investigated the link between the gut microbiome and diabetes, most of those studies consisted of comparing healthy individuals with those already diagnosed with the condition.

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Further research is needed to understand whether microbiome changes (potentially influenced by diet) are directly causing the subsequent metabolic problems, or whether the microbiome is simply responding to the metabolic disease.

Much more at: https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/prediab...-bacteria-gut-microbiome/

The Human Microbiome and its Links to Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases
CDC Webinar, November 5, 2020, 11:00am-12:00pm ET

In this webinar, Dr. Rob Knight of UCSD will give discuss emerging opportunities and examples for using the microbiome to improve health and prevent disease at the individual and population levels. Our discussant CDC's Dr. Clifford McDonald will give an overview of several CDC initiatives in microbiome and public health research and program implementation.

https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/events/microbiome_2020.htm

New evidence links age-related cognitive decline & the gut microbiome

Scientists from the UK and Italy have found fecal transplants from old mice to young mice result in the younger animals displaying learning and memory impairments. The findings build on a growing body of research linking age-related cognitive decline with gut microbiome changes.
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However, the causal relationship between the microbiome and the brain is still deeply unclear. We do know that changes in the brain can influence changes in the microbiome. Experiments inducing strokes in mice, for example, were found to subsequently alter bacterial populations in the gut. On the other hand, we've also seen metabolites produced by gut bacteria traveling up into the brain and exacerbating neurovascular disease. So it seems increasingly clear the gut-brain axis is both incredibly complex and deeply bi-directional.

Much more at: https://newatlas.com/science/cognitive-declin...a-mouse-study-microbiome/