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Zhang S, Cai H, Wang C, Zhu J, Yu Y. Sex-dependent gut microbiota-brain-cognition associations: a multimodal MRI study. BMC Neurol 2023; 23:169. [PMID: 37106317 PMCID: PMC10134644 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-023-03217-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is bidirectional communication between the gut microbiota and the brain. Empirical evidence has demonstrated sex differences in both the gut microbiome and the brain. However, the effects of sex on the gut microbiota-brain associations have yet to be determined. We aim to elucidate the sex-specific effects of gut microbiota on brain and cognition. METHODS One hundred fifty-seven healthy young adults underwent brain structural, perfusion, functional and diffusion MRIs to measure gray matter volume (GMV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), functional connectivity strength (FCS) and white matter integrity, respectively. Fecal samples were collected and 16S amplicon sequencing was utilized to assess gut microbial diversity. Correlation analyses were conducted to test for sex-dependent associations between microbial diversity and brain imaging parameters, and mediation analysis was performed to further characterize the gut microbiota-brain-cognition relationship. RESULTS We found that higher gut microbial diversity was associated with higher GMV in the right cerebellum VI, higher CBF in the bilateral calcarine sulcus yet lower CBF in the left superior frontal gyrus, higher FCS in the bilateral paracentral lobule, and lower diffusivity in widespread white matter regions in males. However, these associations were absent in females. Of more importance, these neuroimaging biomarkers significantly mediated the association between gut microbial diversity and behavioral inhibition in males. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight sex as a potential influential factor underlying the gut microbiota-brain-cognition relationship, and expose the gut microbiota as a biomarker-driven and sex-sensitive intervention target for mental disorders with abnormal behavioral inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujun Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, 272007, China
| | - Huanhuan Cai
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218, Jixi Road, Shushan District, Hefei, 230022, China
- Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei, 230032, China
- Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Chunli Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China
| | - Jiajia Zhu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218, Jixi Road, Shushan District, Hefei, 230022, China.
- Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei, 230032, China.
- Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Yongqiang Yu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218, Jixi Road, Shushan District, Hefei, 230022, China.
- Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei, 230032, China.
- Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei, 230032, China.
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Yi SY, Pirasteh A, Wang J, Bradshaw T, Jeffery JJ, Barnett BR, Stowe NA, McMillan AB, Vivas EI, Rey FE, Yu JPJ. 18F-SynVesT-1 PET/MR Imaging of the Effect of Gut Microbiota on Synaptic Density and Neurite Microstructure: A Preclinical Pilot Study. Front Radiol 2022; 2:895088. [PMID: 37492655 PMCID: PMC10365022 DOI: 10.3389/fradi.2022.895088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
The gut microbiome profoundly influences brain structure and function. The gut microbiome is hypothesized to play a key role in the etiopathogenesis of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative illness; however, the contribution of an intact gut microbiome to quantitative neuroimaging parameters of brain microstructure and function remains unknown. Herein, we report the broad and significant influence of a functional gut microbiome on commonly employed neuroimaging measures of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), neurite orientation dispersion and density (NODDI) imaging, and SV2A 18F-SynVesT-1 synaptic density PET imaging when compared to germ-free animals. In this pilot study, we demonstrate that mice, in the presence of a functional gut microbiome, possess higher neurite density and orientation dispersion and decreased synaptic density when compared to age- and sex-matched germ-free mice. Our results reveal the region-specific structural influences and synaptic changes in the brain arising from the presence of intestinal microbiota. Further, our study highlights important considerations for the development of quantitative neuroimaging biomarkers for precision imaging in neurologic and psychiatric illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sue Y. Yi
- Neuroscience Training Program, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Ali Pirasteh
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - James Wang
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Tyler Bradshaw
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Justin J. Jeffery
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Brian R. Barnett
- Neuroscience Training Program, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Nicholas A. Stowe
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Alan B. McMillan
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Eugenio I. Vivas
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Gnotobiotic Animal Core Facility, Biomedical Research Model Services, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Federico E. Rey
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - John-Paul J. Yu
- Neuroscience Training Program, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
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Berding K, Carbia C, Cryan JF. Going with the grain: Fiber, cognition, and the microbiota-gut-brain-axis. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2021; 246:796-811. [PMID: 33641478 PMCID: PMC8719029 DOI: 10.1177/1535370221995785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Healthy dietary intake has been acknowledged for decades as one of the main contributors to health. More recently, the field of nutritional psychiatry has progressed our understanding regarding the importance of nutrition in supporting mental health and cognitive function. Thereby, individual nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols, have been recognized to be key drivers in this relationship. With the progress in appreciating the influence of dietary fiber on health, increasingly research is focusing on deciphering its role in brain processes. However, while the importance of dietary fiber in gastrointestinal and metabolic health is well established, leading to the development of associated health claims, the evidence is not conclusive enough to support similar claims regarding cognitive function. Albeit the increasing knowledge of the impact of dietary fiber on mental health, only a few human studies have begun to shed light onto the underexplored connection between dietary fiber and cognition. Moreover, the microbiota-gut-brain axis has emerged as a key conduit for the effects of nutrition on the brain, especially fibers, that are acted on by specific bacteria to produce a variety of health-promoting metabolites. These metabolites (including short chain fatty acids) as well as the vagus nerve, the immune system, gut hormones, or the kynurenine pathway have been proposed as underlying mechanisms of the microbiota-brain crosstalk. In this minireview, we summarize the evidence available from human studies on the association between dietary fiber intake and cognitive function. We provide an overview of potential underlying mechanisms and discuss remaining questions that need to be answered in future studies. While this field is moving at a fast pace and holds promise for future important discoveries, especially data from human cohorts are required to further our understanding and drive the development of public health recommendations regarding dietary fiber in brain health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Berding
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork T12 YT20, Ireland
| | - Carina Carbia
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork T12 YT20, Ireland
| | - John F Cryan
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork T12 YT20, Ireland
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork T12 YT20, Ireland
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