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Gut microbes regulate neurons to help mice forget their fear

Microorganisms in the gut influence fear-related learning. The results of a study that reveals some of the mechanistic underpinnings of this phenomenon promise to boost our understanding of gut–brain communication.
  1. Drew D. Kiraly

    1. Drew D. Kiraly is in the Department of Psychiatry and the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA.

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The gut’s resident bacteria, collectively called the gut microbiota, can have marked effects on brain function and on behaviour — but the mechanisms underlying this interplay remain largely unknown. Writing in Nature, Chu et al.1 define these mechanisms in unprecedented scope and detail. The authors report that mice lacking a complex microbiota exhibit altered fear-associated behaviour, changes in gene expression in cells in the brain, and alterations in the firing patterns and rewiring ability of neurons. The work represents a leap forward in our understanding of the interplay between the gut and brain.

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Nature 574, 488-489 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03114-1

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