We previously published a blog post on the association between Viagra and mental decline, and between cataract surgery and dementia. Both appeared to lessen the development of mental decline and decreased brain performance. The reasons were intriguing, but the Viagra connection was presumably because of increased blood flow. The cataract association was less obvious: the better vision experienced by people apparently increased their activities and brain function. For several decades studies, usually involving animals, have indicated that the bacteria found in guts tended to influence brain function as well. A recent human study found that the interplay between the gut biome and cognition – the gut-brain axis – when adjusted for other factors, played a significant role in six different brain performance tests.
The study, across different populations, showed that the presence of two types of bacteria was associated with improved performance in at least one of the cognitive tests, while one type of bacteria, Sutterella, had a negative effect.
The study isn’t definitive, in part because of the relative size of the group studied, but the hope is that the study of the gut biome may lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment for our aging population.
Dr. Michelle Wright, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin, told Medical News Today she found the research interesting: “This study provides a glimpse into how microbes, our social environments, and health behaviors may differentially impact our cognitive health. Many of these factors have been studied independently, and in animal models, but this study evaluated many of these features together, for the first time among a community-dwelling sample, using existing data.”
The functional capabilities of the human body, particularly the brain, are still a mystery even to scientists who study who we are and how we live and decline. A decade ago, most people would have laughed at the idea that the bacteria in your intestinal system somehow influenced how you think. We are now realizing that almost all parts of the body interconnect and influence the other parts.
