(Press-News.org) A new study in an animal model provides direct evidence for the role of the vagus nerve in gut microbiome-brain communication, addressing a critical gap in the field.
The research, led by Kelly G. Jameson while a PhD student in the Hsiao Lab at UCLA, demonstrates a clear causal relationship between gut microbiota and vagal nerve activity.
While the vagus nerve has long been thought to facilitate communication between the gut microbiome—the community of microorganisms living in the intestines—and the brain, direct evidence for this process has been limited. Researchers led by Jameson observed that mice raised without any gut bacteria, known as germ-free mice, exhibited significantly lower activity in their vagus nerve compared to mice with a normal gut microbiome. Notably, when these germ-free mice were introduced to gut bacteria from normal mice, their vagal nerve activity increased to normal levels.
Further experiments involved introducing antibiotics into the small intestines of normal mice, which led to a decrease in vagal activity. In germ-free mice, antibiotics had no impact on vagal activity. However, when the antibiotics were washed out and replaced with intestinal fluids from normal mice, the vagal activity was restored. This restoration did not occur with fluids from germ-free mice, highlighting the crucial role of the microbiome.
The study also identified specific substances produced by the gut microbiome, such as short-chain fatty acids and bile acids, that could stimulate vagal activity through particular receptors. These metabolites activated different groups of neurons in the vagus nerve, each with its own unique response pattern. This activation extended to neurons in the brainstem, demonstrating a clear pathway for gut-brain communication.
The research indicates that the gut microbiome regulates certain metabolites that activate the vagus nerve, enabling the transmission of chemosensory signals from the gut to the brain, enhancing the understanding of the gut-brain axis and opening up new possibilities for exploring treatments for neurological and gastrointestinal disorders. Read the study in iScience
END
Study reveals direct gut-brain communication via vagus nerve
Animal model provides direct evidence for the role of the vagus nerve in gut microbiome-brain communication
2025-02-11
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
MSU expert: Using light to hear biology
2025-02-11
Images
Elad Harel is used to shining a light on the mysteries of the natural world.
Working at the cutting-edge of ultrafast spectroscopy — the application of short laser pulses to analyze the dynamics of molecules — the Michigan State University associate professor’s research aims to reveal how microscopic phenomena impact large complex systems.
One promising frontier Harel has been working on is the development of new methods of microscopy that will allow researchers to observe molecular and atomic landscapes in motion rather than through static imagery. Such work has earned Harel MSU’s 2023 ...
“I can’t hear you, I’m too stressed”: Repeated stress in mice reduces sound perception
2025-02-11
After a week of stress, mice show changes in how their brains process sound, reducing how well they perceive loud noises, according to a study published February 11th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology led by Ghattas Bisharat, from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, and colleagues.
Repeated stress has negative impacts on mental health that can go beyond psychiatric disorders. They can also cause changes in how we perceive the world, making us jump at loud noises, or become easily irritated by scratchy sweaters or offensive odors. To understand how repeated stress can impact how the brain processes sensory information, the authors ...
Chronic stress affects how brain processes sound in mice
2025-02-11
BEER-SHEVA, Israel, February 11, 2025 – Chronic stress changes the way our brain processes sounds, according to new research conducted on mice at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. For instance, sounds need to be louder during chronic stress to trigger similar responses.
Chronic stress is known to impact learning and decision-making, but could it also affect how we hear? Dr. Jennifer Resnik from Ben-Gurion University’s Department of Life Sciences set out to find whether stress influences basic brain functions, ...
Insilico Medicine announces developmental candidate benchmarks and timelines for novel therapeutics discovered using generative AI
2025-02-11
Cambridge, MA – Insilico Medicine ( “Insilico”) , a clinical stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology company today announced a set of preclinical drug discovery benchmarks from the 22 developmental candidate nominations achieved by its platform from 2021 to 2024. These benchmarks underscore the platform's efficiency and represent a potential new standard for the drug discovery industry by significantly reducing developmental times, cost, and by allowing resources to be redirected toward further ...
A wealth of evidence: PIK compiles 85,000 individual studies about climate policy
2025-02-11
“Rather than directly providing answers to questions about the effects of climate policies, this study displays an overview of what has actually been scientifically studied so far,” explains Max Callaghan, PIK researcher and lead author of the study. “On the one hand, this informs existing gaps and thus directions for primary research, including through funding. On the other hand, this overview facilitates evidence synthesis work, i.e. the summarisation of the state of knowledge for governments, for example in the IPCC Assessment Reports.”
The study shows, among other ...
New fish species with ‘face paint’ named after Studio Ghibli character
2025-02-11
Researchers in China have named a newly discovered fish species after the Studio Ghibli character San from Princess Mononoke based on its similar facial markings.
Published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, Branchiostegus sanae is a deepwater tilefish belonging to the family Branchiostegidae. It was discovered when scientists noticed unique cheek pattern on some deepwater tilefish individuals in online seafood markets.
The research team used genetic analysis to confirm the new-species status of the fish, and were inspired by its facial stripes to name it after the female protagonist, San, from Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Princess Mononoke, choosing “sanae” ...
Mechanical heart valve replacements have better long-term survival, study finds
2025-02-11
Patients aged between 50 to 70 years with a mechanical heart valve replacement had better long-term survival compared to those with a biological valve, new research led by the University of Bristol has found. The study is published in the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.
The last two decades have seen an increase in the use of biological over mechanical heart valve replacements. However, while short-term clinical outcomes are known to be the same, long-term outcomes are still under debate.
Existing guidelines support the use of mechanical valves made of synthetic ...
Sandra Diaz and Eduardo Brondízio, scholars of human-nature interconnection, win the 2025 Tyler Prize with call for policies, business models and individuals to recognize humanity’s 'entanglement' wit
2025-02-11
FEBRUARY 11, 2025 – Argentine ecologist Sandra Díaz and Brazilian-American anthropologist Eduardo Brondízio are being awarded the 2025 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for their extraordinary work linking biodiversity to humankind, the Tyler Prize Executive Committee announced today.
Díaz and Brondízio are using the win to draw attention to humanity’s “entanglement” with nature in a joint call for policies, business models, and individuals to acknowledge their dependence and shared responsibility in the “fabric of life.”
“The ...
Kessler Foundation in partnership with Overlook Medical Center is first in NJ to implant novel spinal stimulator
2025-02-11
East Hanover & Summit, NJ – February 11, 2025 – The Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation is proud to announce the implantation of a spinal cord epidural stimulator in an individual with paralysis, marking a significant advancement in spinal cord injury treatment and rehabilitation. The surgical procedure was funded by the Joseph and Cheryl Marino Family Foundation and performed by neurosurgeon Robert F. Heary, MD, at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, part of Atlantic Health System, home of the Atlantic Neuroscience Institute.
This groundbreaking procedure, ...
Study reveals how physical activity impacts sleep quality in older adults during COVID-19 pandemic
2025-02-11
“[…] we found that PA may be associated with the sleep quality of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and that reduced levels of PA during the COVID-19 pandemic period had a negative association with the quality of sleep of older adults in social isolation.”
BUFFALO, NY—February 11, 2025 — A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) on January 15, 2025, in Volume 17, Issue 1, titled “Association between physical activity practice and sleep quality of older people in social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and Health Guidelines and future studies ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Ancient crop discovered in the Canary Islands thanks to archaeological DNA
Placental research may transform our understanding of autism and human brain evolution
Mapping the Universe, faster and with the same accuracy
Study isolates population aging as primary driver of musculoskeletal disorders
Designing a sulfur vacancy redox disruptor for photothermoelectric and cascade‑catalytic‑driven cuproptosis–ferroptosis–apoptosis therapy
Recent advances in dynamic biomacromolecular modifications and chemical interventions: Perspective from a Chinese chemical biology consortium
CRF and the Jon DeHaan Foundation to launch TCT AI Lab at TCT 2025
Canada’s fastest academic supercomputer is now online at SFU after $80m upgrades
Architecture’s past holds the key to sustainable future
Laser correction for short-sightedness is safe and effective for older teenagers
About one in five people taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro say food tastes saltier or sweeter than before
Taking semaglutide turns down food noise, research suggests
Type 2 diabetes may double risk of sepsis, large community-based study suggests
New quantum sensors can withstand extreme pressure
Tirzepatide more cost-effective than semaglutide in patients with knee osteoarthritis and obesity
GLP-1 drugs shown cost-effective for knee osteoarthritis and obesity
Interactive apps, AI chatbots promote playfulness, reduce privacy concerns
How NIL boosts college football’s competitive balance
Moffitt researchers develop machine learning model to predict urgent care visits for lung cancer patients
Construction secrets of honeybees: Study reveals how bees build hives in tricky spots
Wheat disease losses total $2.9 billion across the United States and Canada between 2018 and 2021
New funding fuels development of first potentially regenerative treatment for multiple sclerosis
NJIT student–faculty team wins best presentation award for ant swarm simulation
Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination
When the wireless data runs dry
Inquiry into the history of science shows an early “inherence” bias
Picky eaters endure: Ecologists use DNA to explore diet breadth of wild herbivores
Study suggests most Americans would be healthier without daylight saving time
Increasing the level of the protein PI31 demonstrates neuroprotective effects in mice
Multi-energy X-ray curved surface imaging-with multi-layer in-situ grown scintillators
[Press-News.org] Study reveals direct gut-brain communication via vagus nerveAnimal model provides direct evidence for the role of the vagus nerve in gut microbiome-brain communication