The Gut Microbiome and Alzheimer ' s Disease

The balance of microbial populations making up the gut microbiome changes with age, both a loss of microbes generating beneficial metabolites and an increase in the number of inflammatory microbes. Separately from this harmful process, a number of studies have shown that that aged gut microbiome is distinctly different in patients with Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that there may be a meaningful contribution to disease onset and progression arising from the gut. The precise mechanisms involved have yet to be identified. While inflammation has an important role in Alzheimer's disease, the contribution of an Alzheimer's-like gut microbiome may not be as simple as increased levels of chronic inflammation in comparison to other older individuals. Unlike the typical aging process, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition characterized by a range of cognitive impairments affecting various aspects of daily life. These impairments impact memory, thinking, decision making, communication, problem solving, personality, and mobility. In AD, the formation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) leads to inflammation and a gradual decline in cognitive function. Despite various hypotheses about the development of AD, its onset and progression remain unclear. Recent evidence suggests that the gut microbiota-brain axis could offer insights into the early diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs