Watch the presentation on Slideshare: [ Ссылка ]
Seminar led by John F. Cryan, Professor & Chair, Dept Anatomy & Neuroscience, Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork- Ireland
Abstract: Bacterial colonisation of the intestine has a major role in the post-natal development and maturation of the immune and endocrine systems. These processes are key factors underpinning central nervous system (CNS) signaling. Regulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis is essential for maintaining homeostasis, including that of the CNS. Moreover, there is now expanding evidence for the view that commensal organisms within the gut play a role in early programming and later responsivity of the stress system. Research has focused on how the microbiota communicates with the central nervous system (CNS) and thereby influences brain function. The routes of this communication are not fully elucidated but include neural, humoral, immune and metabolic pathways. This view is underpinned by studies in germ-free animals and in animals exposed to pathogenic bacterial infections, probiotic agents or antibiotic agents which indicate a role for the gut microbiota in the regulation of mood, cognition, pain and obesity. Thus the concept of a microbiota-gut brain axis is emerging which suggests that modulation of the gut microflora may be a tractable strategy for developing novel therapeutics for complex stress-related CNS disorders where there is a huge unmet medical need.
