The Gut Brain-Axis in Neurological Diseases

ABSTRACT

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that dysfunction of the gut-brain axis may be an important factor contributing to many diseases of the nervous system. Increased gut permeability associated with chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction, as well as changes in the composition of the gut microbiota could contribute to exposure of the enteric and central nervous system to pathogens and its metabolites, including endotoxins and pro-inflammatory cytokines. As a consequence, dysfunction of the host's immune system could contribute to an abnormal immunological response leading to auto-immune conditions, such as multiple sclerosis. So far, gut dysbiosis has been reported in association with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions, and cerebrovascular disease. These findings suggest that the possibility of targeting the gut microbiota could become a future therapeutic option to treat these conditions. However, before this knowledge can be useful in the clinical setting, more data is needed to establish clear causal relationships between dysfunction of the gut-brain axis and neurological diseases.