Facebook Dr. Anil Home page AutismItsGutStupid
Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Growing evidence indicates that there is an ongoing cross-talk between intestinal bacteria and brain mediated in part by immune system. There is some evidence linking intestinal bacteria in pathogenesis of some disorders like autism including differences in type of gut bacteria and short term effect of antibiotics.
FREE at Barnes & Noble: Doctor's Guide to Milk and Your Health: The Good, The Bad or The Slow Poison
Herein we will review the link between the intestinal bugs and another nervous system disorder, i.e. multiple sclerosis.
Animal model of multiple sclerosis
Certain type of mice, e.g. Relapsing-remitting (RR) mouse model spontaneously develop experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) which in analogous to human multiple sclerosis (MS). Thus these mice are genetically predisposed to the disease which I will refer to as EAE/MS
- However not all of these mice develop disease EAE/MS
- Interestingly, the risk for development of disease (35% to 90%) varies depending upon where they are located i.e. institution where breeding center is located .
Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Hypothesis underlying multiple sclerosis (MS)
- There are two schools of thoughts. The changes in central nervous system (CNS) are primary initiating events. Others suggest that disease is rooted in the immune system.
- Not unlike autism, diet has been implicated in pathogenesis of MS in order to explain the exponential rise of the prevalence in Japan attributed to Western Lifestyles.
- According to Ochoa-Raparaz and colleagues from the Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, NH, the reservoir for the immune cells involved in multiple sclerosis may lie within the Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT).
Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Gut bacteria Brain study
Berer and colleagues from the Department of Neuro-immunology, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Germany conducted studies in RR mouse model to determine the role of gut bacteria in the developmental of experimental multiple sclerosis.
- Comparison of totally germ free animals (never exposed to bacteria) and specific pathogen free (SPF) animals showed that disease EAE/MS developed in SPF animals within 3 months, it did not develop in germ free animals.
- Since bacteria play a key role in immune development, absence of disease in germ free animals suggests that lack of immune activation by gut bacterial stimulation.
- When the germ free mice were colonized with conventional bacteria, the formerly germ free mice developed EAE/MS disease shortly thereafter further substantiating the critical role of gut bacteria in autoimmune disorders.
- The difference between the 2 similar animals but with or without gut bacteria is not based upon capacity to produce anti-MOG antibodies upon immunization.
- A word about MOG: Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG) is a protein which plays an important role in myelinization of nerves in CNS. It is critical as an adhesion molecule providing structural integrity to the myelin, a sheath that insulates the nerves. When damaged for example by antibodies, it causes demyelinating disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS).
- Administration of anti-MOG serum results in increased risk of MS relapse presumably because of antibody induced damage to the myelin sheath.
- In subjects at risk for developing multiple sclerosis, the presence of these antibodies increases the likelihood that the subjects develop the disease.
- Caution: Data thus far on MOG link studies do not necessarily establish cause-effect relationship.
FREE at Barnes & Noble: Doctor's Guide to Milk and Your Health: The Good, The Bad or The Slow Poison
How may gut bacteria affect brain?
- The gut bacteria could interact with MOG-specific lymphocytes by probably mimicking MOG which is important for maintaining integrity of myelin sheath of nerves.
- This suggests that the disease process starts in the Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT). A bacterial stimulus results in autoimmune lymphocytes which instigate the demyelinating encephalomyelitis.
Potential therapeutic strategies to treat multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases like autism if Gut Bugs and Brain theory is confirmed
- Repopulation of gut bacteria
- Immunization against bacterial antigens
- Antibiotics targeted against specific pathogens
- Probiotics to alter gut bacteraia balance to modify immune system
Evidence for some of the above therapeutic options
- Treatment of RR animals with probiotics reduces MS like symptoms as well as inflamation.
- Treatment with probiotics reduces the severity of established EAE/MS in mice.
- Opposite is true as well. Administration of lipid derived from normal mouth bacteria (commensal) Porphyromonus gingivalis exacerbates EAE/MS in mice.
Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
You may have said it before, but do you recommend a certain brand/kind of probiotic?
Posted by: Amelia Blake Garner | 07/06/2016 at 10:27 PM
No wonder, there is very little difference between 'shouch' and 'soch'.
Posted by: VisionaryMohan | 07/07/2016 at 02:15 AM