Intestinal interoceptive dysfunction drives age-associated cognitive decline - PubMed
14 hours ago
- #cognitive decline
- #ageing
- #gut-brain axis
- Ageing leads to declining memory function with varied manifestations in humans.
- Gastrointestinal signals are identified as brain-extrinsic factors influencing cognitive decline.
- A study in mice reveals that gut microbiome changes impair neuronal activation in the hippocampus.
- Bacteria like Parabacteroides goldsteinii produce medium-chain fatty acids, driving inflammation via GPR84 signaling.
- This inflammation impairs vagal afferent neuron function, weakening brain interoceptive signals and hippocampal function.
- Interventions like phage targeting, GPR84 inhibition, and vagal activity restoration enhance memory in aged mice.
- The findings suggest stimulating gut-brain communication could counteract age-associated cognitive decline.