Fecal transplants from symptomatic patients into sterile rats induces cognitive deficits and neurodegeneration—early signs of Alzheimer’s.
Researchers recently discovered that they could give young, healthy animals Alzheimer’s disease by transferring the gut microbiome of human subjects with Alzheimer’s into germ-free rats.
Published on Oct. 18 in Brain, the findings solidify that the microbiome—the collection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live mostly in the colon—has a role in the development of Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, affecting 6.7 million Americans.
“This study represents an important step forward in our understanding of the disease, confirming that the makeup of our gut microbiota has a causal role in the development of the disease,” King’s College London neuroscience professor Sandrine Thuret, one of the study’s senior authors, said in a statement.
Our intestines are home to trillions of these microscopic bugs, which mostly live in symbiosis with the human body. Many factors, including antibiotics, glyphosate, medications, and stress, have been proven to kill beneficial microorganisms and cause an imbalance often referred to as dysbiosis.
Exactly what causes the microbial shift in people with Alzheimer’s disease is unclear.
“Bigger picture, it is likely that no one factor, food or lifestyle change will, on its own, reduce the risk of developing cognitive decline as we age,” Percy Griffin, Alzheimer’s Association director of scientific engagement, said in a statement to The Epoch Times.
“Although this work is intriguing, it is still very preliminary. Larger studies in animal models, and then in humans, are required to make generalizations on what can be done in this area to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.”
Transferring Impairments
There were 69 healthy control subjects and 64 Alzheimer’s patients in the study. Patients with Alzheimer’s had a higher abundance of inflammation-promoting bacteria in fecal samples, and these changes were associated with their cognitive status. Those traits were then found through a battery of behavior tests in only the rats that were given transplants from Alzheimer’s patients.
By Amy Denney
