John F. Cryan

University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

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Title

The Diet-Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis- A Key Regulator of Brain and Behaviour Across the Lifespan

Abstract

The prevalence of brain disorders, including stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders and conditions with cognitive dysfunction, is rising. Poor dietary habits contribute substantially to this accelerating trend. Conversely, healthy dietary intake supports mood and cognitive performance. Recently, the communication between the microorganisms within the gastrointestinal tract and the brain along the gut–brain axis has gained prominence as a potential tractable target to modulate brain health.  

The microbiota and the brain communicate with each other via various routes including the immune system, tryptophan metabolism, the vagus nerve and the enteric nervous system, involving microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, branched chain amino acids, and peptidoglycans. Many factors can influence microbiota composition in early life, including infection, mode of birth delivery, use of antibiotic medications, the nature of nutritional provision, environmental stressors, and host genetics. At the other extreme of life, microbial diversity diminishes with aging. Stress, in particular, can significantly impact the microbiota-gut-brain axis at all stages of life. Much recent work has implicated the gut microbiota in many conditions including autism, anxiety, obesity, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Animal models have been paramount in linking the regulation of fundamental neural processes, such as neurogenesis and myelination, to microbiome activation of microglia. Moreover, translational human studies are ongoing and will greatly enhance the field. Future studies will focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying the microbiota-gut-brain axis and attempt to elucidate microbial-based intervention and therapeutic strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders.

The composition and function of the gut microbiota is robustly influenced by dietary factors to alter gut–brain signalling. To reflect this interconnection between diet, gut microbiota and brain functioning, we recently proposed that a diet–microbiota–gut–brain axis exists that underpins health and well-being and represents an uncharted frontier for brain health diagnostics and therapeutics across the lifespan.

Biosketch

John F. Cryan is Professor & Chair, Dept. of Anatomy & Neuroscience, University College Cork and was appointed Vice President for Research & Innovation in 2021.  He is also a PI in APC Microbiome Ireland. Prof. Cryan has published over 650 peer-reviewed articles and has a H-index of >160 (Google Scholar). He is a Senior Editor of Neuropharmacology and of Neurobiology of Stress and is on the editorial board of a further 10 journals. He has co-edited four books and is co-author of the bestselling  “The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food, and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection”. He has received numerous awards including from European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), European Behavioural Pharmacology Society(EBPS), British Association of Pharmacology, Physiological Society, American Gastroenterology Association and Neuroscience Ireland and FASEB. He was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Antwerp in 2018 and has been on the Highly Cited Researcher list in 2014 and from 2017 to the present. He was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2017. A TEDMED speaker in 2014, TEDx Speaker in 2017 and he is a Past-President of EBPS. He was a Member of the 2022 Fens Forum Programme Committee and Chairs the Scientific Programme Committee of ECNP for 2022-2024.