healthy gut = sharp mind

[bobby]

only tested on mice, but still interesting as a starting point to see how gut and brain might be interconnected.
http://www.neuroscientistnews.com/r...lora-keeps-mind-sharp-some-help-immune-system

As well as impaired neurogenesis, the researchers also found that the population of a specific immune cell in the brain—the Ly6C(hi) monocytes—decreased significantly when the microbiota was switched off.

Could these immune cells be a previously unknown intermediary between the two organ systems? Wolf and her team tested and confirmed this hypothesis: when they removed just these cells from the mice, neurogenesis declined and when they gave the cells to the mice that had been on antibiotics, neurogenesis increased once again.

 

[Cort]

only tested on mice, but still interesting as a starting point to see how gut and brain might be interconnected.
http://www.neuroscientistnews.com/r...lora-keeps-mind-sharp-some-help-immune-system

That study found that turning off the microbiome in mice resulted in memory deterioration! Isn't that something.

The researchers switched off the gut microbiome in mice, i.e. their intestinal bacteria, with a strong concoction of antibiotics. Compared to the mice that had not undergone treatment, they subsequently observed significantly fewer newly formed nerve cells in the hippocampus region of the brain. The memory of the treated mice also deteriorated because the formation of these new brain cells - a process known as neurogenesis - is important for certain memory functions.

It also found that exercise and probiotics together are helpful. Unfortunately, much exercise is not really on the table (lol) but I imagine that some doctors are going to start giving their depressed patients probiotics.

According to Wolf, the new study is also of significance for treating people with mental disorders such as schizophrenia or depression, who also have impaired neurogenesis: "In addition to medication and physical exercise, these patients could potentially also benefit from probiotic preparations. In order to test this, we would like to conduct clinical pilot studies together with the Charité."