It is well known that bacteria constituting the intestinal microbiota interact with the brain and can influence our mood. However, scientists thought that the brain was sterile, i.e. without any bacterium thanks to the blood brain barrier considered as a filter. But it would seem that a cerebral microbiota exists.
This has been suggested by a laboratory from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, at the Society for Neuroscience congress. The researchers studied 34 brains of dead people with schizophrenia or in good health to get these preliminary results. No brain showed inflammation signs. They observed rod shapes by microscopy in each brain, representing bacteria. The scientists also examined the brain of mice with or without intestinal microbiota in order to ensure that bacteria do not come from postmortem contamination. After analysis, the mice with germs had bacteria in similar locations as in humans whereas those germ-free had no bacterium: these results argue against contamination hypothesis. Moreover, the genetic sequencing showed that bacteria in brain and intestine belonged to the same family, suggesting that they can penetrate through the blood brain barrier.
This discovery could revolutionize our brain vision and diseases affecting it!
LC
