Brain-gut-immune Axis may Drive Early Brain Development

Gut-Immune-Brain Axis

“We investigated the role this (gut-immune-brain) axis plays in the brain development of extreme preterm infants. The microorganisms of the gut microbiome – which is a vital collection of hundreds of species of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microbes – are in equilibrium in healthy people. However, especially in premature babies, whose immune system and microbiome have not been able to develop fully, shifts are quite likely to occur. These shifts may result in negative effects on the brain,” says the first author of the study, David Seki, the microbiologist and immunologist.

The study evaluated a total of 60 premature infants, born before 28 weeks gestation and weighing less than 1 kilogram, for several weeks or even months. The gut microbiome was then analyzed from blood and stool samples using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

The brain wave recordings of the infants were done via EEG and MRI. It was found that excessive growth of a specific bacterium called Klebsiella along with the associated elevated γδ-T-cell levels may worsen brain damage.

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“In fact, we have been able to identify certain patterns in the microbiome and immune response that are clearly linked to the progression and severity of brain injury. Crucially, such patterns often show up prior to changes in the brain. This suggests a critical time window during which brain damage of extremely premature infants may be prevented from worsening or even avoided,” says David Berry, microbiologist and head of the research group at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS) at the University of Vienna as well as Operational Director of the Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna.

Source: Medindia