Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Nov;17(11):2407-2412.
doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.335837.

The influence of gut microbiota alteration on age-related neuroinflammation and cognitive decline

Amsha S Alsegiani  1 , Zahoor A Shah  1
Affiliations
Review

The influence of gut microbiota alteration on age-related neuroinflammation and cognitive decline

Amsha S Alsegiani et al. Neural Regen Res. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

Recent emerging research on intestinal microbiota and its contribution to the central nervous system during health and disease has attracted significant attention. Age-related intestinal microbiota changes initiate brain aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Aging is one of the critical predisposing risk factors for the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Maintaining a healthy gut microbiota is essential for a healthy body and aging, but dysbiosis could initiate many chronic diseases. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of gut microbiota alterations/dysbiosis will help identify biomarkers for aging-related chronic conditions. This review summarizes recent advances in microbiota-neurodegenerative disease research and will enhance our understanding of gut microbiota dysbiosis and its effects on brain aging.

Keywords: brain aging; cognitive decline; dysbiosis; fecal microbiota transplantation; gut-microbiota; neuroinflammation; prebiotics; probiotics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Editor note: ZAS is an Editorial Board member of Neural Regeneration Research. He was blinded from reviewing or making decisions on the manuscript. The article was subject to the journal’s standard procedures, with peer review handled independently of this Editorial Board member and their research groups.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Gut-brain axis. Five major possible communication pathways of gut microbiota and the brain: the neural network, neuroendocrine system, gut immune system, gut microbiota metabolic system, and barriers system. Created with BioRender.com. HPA: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The aging brain starts from the digestive system and subsequently develops into neurodegenerative diseases. Gut microbiota dysbiosis induces stress protein aggregation in the healthy brain leading to neuroinflammation and brain aging, consequently increasing the risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders. Created with BioRender.com. BDNF: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; IL: interleukin; ROS: reactive oxygen spcies; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor alpha.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Al-Asmakh M, Zadjali F. Use of germ-free animal models in microbiota-related research. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2015;25:1583–1588. - PubMed
    1. Alsegiani AS, Shah ZA. The role of cofilin in age-related neuroinflammation. Neural Regen Res. 2020;15:1451–159. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barengolts E. Gut microbiota, prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics in management of obesity and prediabetes: review of randomized controlled trials. Endocr Pract. 2016;22:1224–1234. - PubMed
    1. Bercik P, Collins SM, Verdu EF. Microbes and the gut-brain axis. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2012;24:405–413. - PubMed
    1. Biagi E, Nylund L, Candela M, Ostan R, Bucci L, Pini E, Nikkïla J, Monti D, Satokari R, Franceschi C, Brigidi P, De Vos W. Through ageing, and beyond: gut microbiota and inflammatory status in seniors and centenarians. PLoS One. 2010;5:e10667. - PMC - PubMed