Saturday, November 2

Rejuvenate the brain with fecal transplants? This is posed by scientists

For some years, science has communicated the intimate relationship between the functioning of the brain and the intestinal microbiota, made up of the bacteria that live in the digestive system . It is even said that the stomach functions as a second brain.

To verify the importance of this relationship that scientists call the “brain-intestine axis”, experts from various institutions British and Italian states suggest that rejuvenating the brain through fecal transplants is possible .

In the laboratory, they performed fecal transplants from aged mice to younger mice and observed changes in their gut microbiota as well as an impairment in their memory and spatial learning capacity : young mice transplanted from older mice had difficulty performing in a maze test. In addition, they suffered alterations in the cells of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory, spatial awareness, learning, mood and emotional behavior.

The researchers believe that the opposite process is possible. “While it remains to be seen whether transplantation from very young donors can restore cognitive function in elderly recipients, the findings show that age-related changes in the gut microbiota can alter components of the central nervous system. “, specified Professor Claudio Nicoletti, from the University of Florence.

In fact, scientists have implemented the fecal transplant service to treat serious intestinal infections and carry out experiments to study its effectiveness in combating age-related ailments , such as brain deterioration.

“These results highlight the primary importance of gut-brain axis in aging and provide a strong rationale for designing therapies that aim to restore a youth-like microbiota to improve cognitive functions and deteriorate quality of life in the elderly “, with include the authors of the research published in the National Library of Medicine .