What is the connection between digestive system diseases and the brain?

What is the connection between digestive system diseases and the brain?

Recent animal studies have shown that Alzheimer's disease can be transmitted to young mice through the transfer of gut microbes, confirming a link between the digestive system and brain health, according to what was published by the Science Alert website, citing the journal Scientific Reports.

Negative effect of inflammation

A new study adds more support to the theory that inflammation could be the mechanism by which it has a negative impact on brain health. “It has been discovered that people with Alzheimer's disease have more gut inflammation,” says psychologist Barbara Bendlin of the University of Wisconsin. “Brain imaging, those with higher inflammation in the gut had higher levels of amyloid [protein clumps] buildup in their brains.”

Calprotectin test

Margo Heston, a pathologist at the University of Wisconsin, and an international team of researchers tested fecal calprotectin, a marker of inflammation, in stool samples from 125 individuals selected from two Alzheimer's disease prevention studies. Participants underwent several cognitive tests upon enrollment in the study, in addition to family history interviews and tests for high-risk Alzheimer's genes. A subset underwent clinical testing for signs of amyloid protein clumps, a common indicator of the disease responsible for the neurodegenerative condition. While calprotectin levels were generally higher in older patients, they were more pronounced in those with amyloid plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's or weaker memory

Levels of other biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease also increased with levels of inflammation, and memory test scores decreased as calprotectin rose as well. Even participants who were not diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease had poorer memory scores with higher levels of calprotectin.

Changes in gut bacteria

Laboratory analysis has previously shown that chemicals from gut bacteria can stimulate inflammatory signals in the brain. Other studies have also found an increase in intestinal inflammation in Alzheimer's patients compared to the control group.
Heston and her colleagues suggest that changes in the microbiome lead to changes in the gut that lead to inflammation at the system level. This inflammation is mild but chronic, and causes subtle and progressive damage that eventually interferes with the sensitivity of the body's barriers.

Blood-brain barrier

“Increased intestinal permeability can lead to elevated levels of inflammatory molecules and toxins derived from the intestinal lumen in the blood, leading to systemic inflammation, which in turn can weaken the blood-brain barrier and potentially promote inflammation,” says Federico Re, a professor of bacteriology at Wisconsin State University. nerves, [thus causing] nerve injury and neurodegeneration.”

Diet changes

Researchers are currently experimenting with laboratory mice to see if changes in diet associated with increased inflammation could trigger a version of Alzheimer's disease in mice.
Despite decades of research, there is still no effective treatment for the millions of people with Alzheimer's disease worldwide. But with greater understanding of biological processes, scientists are getting closer and closer.

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