The far-flung organs of the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system are inextricably connected, and the growing body of scientific literature surrounding the ‘gut-brain axis’ is increasingly demonstrating the role of the microbiome in this two-way communication. As our understanding of the role that microbiology plays in the maintenance of brain structure and function grows, the opportunity of exploiting these microbes therapeutically to combat neurological diseases is becoming more apparent. Here, we take a look at some recent preclinical advances in this area, from microbe-driven memory loss to the role of the gut microbiome in how exercise influences brain health and an antibiotic intervention for traumatic brain injury. The gut microbiome can drive age-associated memory loss Impaired gut–brain signaling and an aged microbiome are implicated in age-related cognitive decline in mice, research from the University of Pennsylvania (PA, USA) and the Arc Institute (CA, USA) has revealed. Providing some comfort, the team went on to demonstrate that various interventions show promise for returning the brain to a more youthful state. Aging is accompanied by memory decline, which greatly affects the quality of life of a large number of older individuals. Brain-extrinsic factors, such as gastrointestinal signals, have been shown to influence age-associated memory loss; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. To investigate this knowledge gap, the team introduced gut microbial communities from aged mice into young recipients by co-housing 2-month and 18-month-old rodents. Frailty scoring revealed that their physical health was unaltered by microbiome equilibration, but the same…
