Functional probes for psychiobiotic monitoring
Abstract
Alterations in the microbiome have been linked to acute and chronic stress and anxiety as well as many neuropathologies affecting cognition. Stress and anxiety are common problems among Warfighters, who are frequently exposed to a variety of detrimental factors during flight. In particular, microbes in the gut have been shown to affect neural function. An exciting new paradigm has emerged; the possibility that certain populations of microbes may be psychobiotic, able to positively affect brain function. The impact of such species could change the face of CNS focused medicine. The question remains, how do we screen for such species and validate their effects. The NEUROMOD II proposal will build on previous successes of the NEUROMOD project which demonstrated our ability to develop a suite of tools to more accurately understand how microbes hosted within the gut lumen transmit signals across the intestinal barrier. This included advances in modelling and monitoring the effect of live microbes and microbial supernatants on gastrointestinal function, as well as conformal electronic probes to measure motility and permeability in an ex vivo setting. A final major advance was the development of minimally invasive probes to measure ENS function in live animals. Here, we will expand our work on the 3D model of the gut, integrating functional neural components and screening potential psychobiotics. We will additionally push beyond the proof of concept of the conformal device in measuring neural function ex vivo, we will use the devices to monitor the effect of potential psychobiotics on gut motility, but also permeability and ENS function. Time permitting, we will develop a neural probe to be implanted into a live murine model for monitoring the response of the ENS, to inputted metabolites associated with stress and anxiety. Our approach will use multi-modal data collection to do continuous readouts of gut permeability, metabolite production and neuronal signaling and immune cell function using innovative conducting polymer technology that allows seamless integration of tissue matched electrodes and devices. The use of a human stem cells allows findings from rodent tissue to be validated in a human in vitro model. Anticipated outcomes include identification of individual or grouped bacterial cohorts shown to increase-decrease inflammation or increase-decrease gut barrier function and-or neuronal firing directly in the gut environment. This research has the potential to understand how psychobiotics may beneficially impact brain health and result in a method for screening new psychobiotic candidates for improving human health.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 06, 2025
- Source ID
- FA86552517068
Entities
People
- Róisín M Owens
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Cambridge