Gut Feelings: The Microbiome as a Key Regulator of Brain & Behaviour Across the Lifespan
by
Prof.John F Cryan(University College Cork, Ireland.)
→
Asia/Kolkata
(Homi Bhabha Auditorium)
(Homi Bhabha Auditorium)
TIFR, Mumbai.
Description
Jointly Hosted by Dept of Biological Sciences & ASET Colloquium
Abstract:
The microbiota-gut-brain axis is emerging as a research area of increasing interest for those investigating the biological and physiological basis of neurodevelopmental, age-related and neuropsychiatric disorders. The routes of communication between the gut and brain include the vagus nerve, the immune system, tryptophan metabolism, via the enteric nervous system or via microbial metabolites such as short chain fatty acids. Studies in animal models have been key in delineating that neurodevelopment and the programming of an appropriate stress response is dependent on the microbiota. Developmentally, a variety of factors can impact the microbiota in early life including mode of birth delivery, antibiotic exposure, mode of nutritional provision, infection, stress as well as host genetics. Stress can significantly impact the microbiota-gut-brain axis at all stages across the lifespan. Moreover, animal models have been key in linking the regulation of fundamental brain processes ranging from adult hippocampal neurogenesis to myelination to microglia activation by the microbiome. Finally, studies examining the translation of these effects from animals to humans are currently ongoing. Further studies will focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying such brain effects and developing nutritional and microbial-based psychobiotic intervention strategies and how these interact with various systems in the body across the lifespan.
About Speaker:
Prof Cryan is a world authority on the gut microbiome and its effects of mood and behavior. He is the author of the book a psychobiotic revolution. Prof. John F. Cryan is Professor & Chair, Dept. of Anatomy & Neuroscience, University College Cork and was appointed Vice President for Research & Innovation in 2021. He is also a Principal Investigator in the APC Microbiome Institute. He received a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry and PhD in Pharmacology from the National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland and was a visiting fellow at the Dept Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Australia, which was followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA and The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California. He spent four years as a Group Leader in the pharmaceutical industry at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research in Basel Switzerland prior to joining UCC in 2005. Prof. Cryan's current research is focused on understanding the interaction between brain, gut & microbiome and how it applies to stress, psychiatric and immune-related disorders at key time-windows across the lifespan.
