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NeuroFood (16-18 October 2024)
 
HomeProgramSpeakersSophie Leclercq

Sophie Leclercq

Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Nutritional Psychiatry, Brussels, Belgium

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Title

Role of the gut microbiota  in alcohol use disorder: experimental approaches and clinical perspectives

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a global health problem with limited therapeutic options. The biochemical mechanisms that lead to this disorder are not yet fully understood. Alterations of the gut microbiota composition and function are well established in AUD patients, and we have shown that intestinal “dysbiosis” in these patients was associated with the severity of the psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, alcohol craving and social impairments). In order to demonstrate a causal link between the gut microbiota and behavior, we used two different experimental strategies. First, we used a model of fecal microbiota transplantation (from humans to mice) and showed that mice receiving AUD microbiota exhibited changes in behavior (depression-like behavior, reduced sociability) and brain functions (neuroinflammation, myelination, neurotransmission). Secondly, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical study to test the effect of a prebiotic supplementation on behavior during a detoxification program. We showed that social impairments were improved in AUD patients upon prebiotics exposure. Overall, these experimental and clinical data strongly suggest a link between the gut and the brain in AUD. Recent metabolomics data explore the potential gut-brain communication pathways in order to help finding new targets in the management of alcohol addiction.

Biosketch

Sophie Leclercq investigates the role of the gut microbiota in the regulation of emotions and cognitive functions in patients suffering from psychiatric diseases. In 2014, she obtained her PhD in Biomedical Sciences in UCLouvain, Belgium. During her thesis, she studied the gut-brain axis in alcohol use disorder patients. She then moved to McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada) for a post-doctoral training, during which she investigated the long-term effects of early life antibiotic exposure on brain functions and behavior in a mouse model. In 2022, Sophie was appointed FNRS research associate and created the laboratory of Nutritional Psychiatry in the Institute of Neuroscience of UCLouvain. Her team mainly conducts clinical study to test the impact of nutritional compounds on mental health and to decipher the mechanisms underlying gut-brain interactions. In 2023, she was awarded the ESBRA Nordmann Prize for her significant contribution in alcohol-related biomedical research.