Assessing the Impact of Gut Microbiota on Neuroprotection in Alzheimer Disease: Yannick J. Wadop Ngouongo, PhD

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"The gut-brain connection reveals the profound influence of the microbiome on our minds and the potential links to neurological disorders. Understanding this link holds the key to unlocking new therapeutic pathways."

Prior research has suggested that the composition of the gut microbiome may play a key role in the development of neurological disorders in patients such as Alzheimer disease (AD). Notably, studies on animal models have indicated that fecal microbiota transplantation can reduce amyloid plaques in mice with AD. However, a lack of comprehensive investigation remains on the potential links between the accumulation of amyoid-ß (Aβ) and tau deposits in the brain as well as the changes in the composition of the gut microbiota. In recent research, findings showed an association with elevated levels of amyloid and tau as detected by brain scans and lower levels of gut bacteria Butyricicoccus and Ruminococcus, as well as higher amounts of Cytophaga and Alistipes.¹

Lead author Yannick J. Wadop Ngouongo, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio andthe health science center’s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, presented the findings at the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, July 16-20, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.² In the study, Wadop Ngouongo, and colleagues assessed the relationship between gut microbiome composition with amyloid- and tau-PET measures using fecal samples and cognitive measures from 140 cognitively healthy middle-aged individuals from the Framingham Heart Study (mean age = 56, women, 54%).

Wadop Ngouongo recently sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® during the meeting to provide an overview of the research. He talked about how the gut microbiota imbalance contributes to the pathogenesis of neurological disorders like AD. He also spoke about the research methods that can help understand more about the causality and mechanisms that interact between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system. In addition, Wadop Ngouongo explained how specific gut bacteria influence neuroprotection, and the potential therapeutic interventions that suggest this association.

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REFERENCES
1. Wadop Ngouongo YJ, Muhammad JA, Kautz TF, et al. Elevated Amyloid-β and Tau Levels in the Brain are Associated with a Reduced Abundance of Neuroprotective Gut Bacteria. Presented at: 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference; July 16 to July 20; Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Abstract 74962.
2. Constipation Associated with Cognitive Aging and Decline. News Release. Alzheimer’s Association. Published July 19, 2023. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://aaic.alz.org/releases_2023/constipation-gut-health-alzheimers-dementia-risk.asp