Similar connectivity of gut microbiota and brain activity networks is mediated by animal protein and lipid intake in children from a Mexican indigenous population.

The gut microbiota-brain axis is a complex communication network essential for host health. Any long-term disruption can affect higher cognitive functions, or it may even result in several chronic neurological diseases. The type and diversity of nutrients an individual consumes are essential for developing the gut microbiota (GM) and the brain. Hence, dietary patterns might influence networks communication of this axis, especially at the age that both systems go through maturation processes. By implementing Mutual Information and Minimum Spanning Tree (MST); we proposed a novel combination of Machine Learning and Network Theory techniques to study the effect of animal protein and lipid intake on the connectivity of GM and brain cortex activity (BCA) networks in children from 5-to 10 years old from an indigenous community in the southwest of México. Socio-ecological conditions in this nonwestern lifestyle community are very homogeneous among its inhabitants but it shows high individual heterogeneity in the consumption of animal products. Results suggest that MST, the critical backbone of information flow, diminishes under low protein and lipid intake. So, under these nonwestern regimens, deficient animal protein and lipid consumption diets may significantly affect the GM-BCA connectivity in crucial development stages. Finally, MST offers us a metric that unifies biological systems of different nature to evaluate the change in their complexity in the face of environmental pressures or disturbances. Effect of Diet on gut microbiota and brain networks connectivity.

Metals, Nanoparticles, Particulate Matter, and Cognitive Decline.

Exposure to metals is ubiquitous and emission sources include gasoline, diesel, smoke from wildfires, contaminated soil, water and food, medical implants, waste recycling facilities, subway exposures, and occupational environments. PM2.5 exposure is associated with impaired cognitive performance, neurobehavioral alterations, incidence of dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. Heavy-duty diesel vehicles are major emitters of metal-rich PM2.5 and nanoparticles in Metropolitan Mexico City (MMC). Cognitive impairment was investigated in 336 clinically healthy, middle-class, Mexican volunteers, age 29.2 ± 13.3 years with 13.7 ± 2.4 years of education using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). MoCA scores varied with age and residency in three Mexican cities with cognition deficits impacting ~74% of the young middle-class population (MoCA ≤ 25). MMC residents ≥31 years ( x ¯ 46.2 ± 11.8 y) had MoCA x ¯ 20.4 ± 3.4 vs. low pollution controls 25.2 ± 2.4 (p < 0.0001). Formal education years positively impacted MoCA total scores across all participants (p < 0.0001). Residency in PM2.5 polluted cities impacts multi-domain cognitive performance. Identifying and making every effort to lower key pollutants impacting neural risk trajectories and monitoring cognitive longitudinal performance are urgent. PM2.5 emission control should be prioritized, metal emissions targeted, and neuroprevention interventions implemented early.

Gait and balance disturbances are common in young urbanites and associated with cognitive impairment. Air pollution and the historical development of Alzheimer's disease in the young.

To determine whether gait and balance dysfunction are present in young urbanites exposed to fine particular matter PM2.5 ≥ annual USEPA standard, we tested gait and balance with Tinetti and Berg tests in 575 clinically healthy subjects, age 21.0 ±â€¯5.7 y who were residents in Metropolitan Mexico City, Villahermosa and Reynosa. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment was also applied to an independent cohort n:76, age 23.3 ±â€¯9.1 y. In the 575 cohort, 75.4% and 34.4% had abnormal total Tinetti and Berg scores and high risk of falls in 17.2% and 5.7% respectively. BMI impacted negatively Tinetti and Berg performance. Gait dysfunction worsen with age and males performed worse than females. Gait and balance dysfunction were associated with mild cognitive impairment MCI (19.73%) and dementia (55.26%) in 57/76 and 19 cognitively intact subjects had gait and balance dysfunction. Seventy-five percent of urbanites exposed to PM2.5 had gait and balance dysfunction. For MMC residents-with historical documented Alzheimer disease (AD) and CSF abnormalities, these findings suggest Alzheimer Continuum is in progress. Early development of a Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome ought to be considered in city dwellers with normal cognition and gait dysfunction. The AD research frame in PM2.5 exposed young urbanites should include gait and balance measurements. Multicity teens and young adult cohorts are warranted for quantitative gait and balance measurements and neuropsychological and brain imaging studies in high vs low PM2.5 exposures. Early identification of gait and balance impairment in young air pollution-exposed urbanites would facilitate multidisciplinary prevention efforts for modifying the course of AD.

Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Involving Multiple Cognitive Domains in Mexican Urbanites.

Exposures to fine particulate matter PM2.5 and ozone O3 are associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. Mexico City residents have lifetime exposures to PM2.5 and O3 above annual USEPA standards and their brains contain high redox, combustion, and friction-derived magnetite nanoparticles. AD pathological changes with subcortical pre-tangle stages in infancy and cortical tau pre-tangles, NFT Stages I-II, and amyloid phases 1-2 are identified by the 2nd decade. Given their AD continuum, a reliable identification of cognitive impairment is of utmost importance. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was administered to 517 urbanites, age 21.60±5.88 years, with 13.69±1.28 formal education years, in Mexican PM2.5 polluted cities. MoCA score was 23.92±2.82, and 24.7% and 30.3% scored ≤24 and ≤22, respectively (MCI≤24, AD≤22). Cognitive deficits progressively targeted Visuospatial, Executive, Language, and Memory domains, body mass index (BMI) impacting total scores negatively (p = 0.0008), aging driving down Executive, Visuospatial, and Language index scores (p < 0.0001, 0.0037, and 0.0045), and males performing better in Executive tasks. Average age for AD MoCA scores was 22.38±7.7 years. Residency in polluted cities is associated with progression of multi-domain cognitive impairment affecting 55% of Mexican seemingly healthy youth. Normal BMI ought to be a neuroprotection goal. MoCA provides guidance for further mandatory neuropsychological testing in young populations. Identifying and lowering key neurotoxicants impacting neural risk trajectories in the developing brain and monitoring cognitive performance would greatly facilitate multidisciplinary early diagnosis and prevention of AD in high risk young populations. Cognitive deficits hinder development of those representing the force moving the country in future years.