Recent studies have demonstrated that commensal, probiotic, and pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract can activate central nervous system (CNS) signaling systems, possibly through neural, endocrine and immune pathways, thus influencing brain function and behavior. This emerging concept of the microbiome–gut–brain axis suggests modulation of the gut microbiome as a potential novel therapeutic strategy for CNS disorders. In our laboratory, we selectively bred mice with strong features of dominance (Dom) and submissiveness (Sub) that represent opposite poles of the behavioral spectrum. We recently found that Dom and Sub mice possess differential gut microbiomes and that modulation of the gut microbiome alters their depressive-like behavior, potentially via inflammatory pathways. Our ongoing study is dedicated to the development of targeted microbiome modulations as a potential therapy for behavioral disorders.
Principal Investigator: Prof. Albert Pinhasov
Behavioral and Molecular Psychiatry Lab
This research was published in a scientific journals (recent publications):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40634281/
Agranyoni, O., Sur, D., Amidror, S., Shidlovsky, N., Bagaev, A., Yissachar, N., Pinhasov, A., & Navon-Venezia, S. Colon impairments and inflammation driven by an altered gut microbiota leads to social behavior deficits rescued by hyaluronic acid and celecoxib. BMC medicine. 2024 Apr 29;22(1):182.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38685001/
Agranyoni O, Meninger-Mordechay S, Uzan A, Ziv O, Salmon-Divon M, Rodin D, Raz O, Koman I, Koren O, Pinhasov A, Navon-Venezia S. Gut microbiota determines the social behavior of mice and induces metabolic and inflammatory changes in their adipose tissue. NPJ biofilms and microbiomes. 2021 Mar 19;7(1):1-4.