Cited by 480Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsGut microbiota and healthTryptophan and brain disorders

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 212 of the 214 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 126 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Microbiome–microglia connections via the gut–brain axis

Open access

Abstract

Microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, are essential for modulating neurogenesis, influencing synaptic remodeling, and regulating neuroinflammation by surveying the brain microenvironment. Microglial dysfunction has been implicated in the onset and progression of several neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases; however, the multitude of factors and signals influencing microglial activity have not been fully elucidated. Microglia not only respond to local signals within the brain but also receive input from the periphery, including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Recent preclinical findings suggest that the gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in regulating microglial maturation and function, and altered microbial community composition has been reported in neurological disorders with known microglial involvement in humans. Collectively, these findings suggest that bidirectional crosstalk between the gut and the brain may influence disease pathogenesis. Herein, we discuss recent studies showing a role for the gut microbiome in modulating microglial development and function in homeostatic and disease conditions and highlight possible future research to develop novel microbial treatments for disorders of the brain.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review synthesizes evidence that the gut microbiota influences microglial maturation, identity, and function through gut–brain axis pathways including the vagus nerve, systemic circulation, and microbial metabolites. It argues that dysbiosis may contribute to microglial dysfunction in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Key findings

  • Microglia make up ∼5–15% of total brain cells and mature stepwise from early to pre- to adult microglia. Germ-free (GF) mice show immature microglial gene expression and morphology, with impaired responses to LPS and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; a diverse microbiota—not just bacterial exposure—is required, and antibiotic depletion in adulthood reverts microglia toward an immature phenotype.
  • Gut–brain communication routes include the vagus nerve, intestinal barrier/peripheral immune signaling, and bacterial metabolites. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; acetic, propionic, and butyric acid make up ∼95% of gut SCFAs) rescue the immature microglial phenotype in GF mice, while FFAR2-deficient SPF mice resemble GF mice. Other microbial neuroactive substances include serotonin (90% produced in the gut), tryptophan metabolites, GABA, and acetylcholine.
  • Disease associations include ASD, where GI symptoms occur in 23–70% of patients and fecal samples show increased Clostridium and Lactobacillus with decreased Bacteroidetes and Bifidobacterium; maternal immune activation models show microglial maturation disruption, and Bacteroides fragilis administration rescues behavioral and GI defects. In PD, >80% of patients report GI dysfunction 10–20 yr before motor symptoms, SIBO occurs in 25–54.5%, and GF α-synuclein-overexpressing mice show reduced motor deficits, GI dysfunction, and microglial activation; SCFA feeding restores deficits. Table 1 also lists schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis as neuropathologies with both microglial dysfunction and microbial dysbiosis.

Methods

  • Narrative review; no primary data are reported. It synthesizes published human and animal studies on the gut microbiome, microglia, and gut–brain axis.
  • Evidence discussed includes GF and specific pathogen–free mice, antibiotic depletion, fecal microbiota transplant, probiotics/prebiotics, SCFA supplementation, vagotomy and vagus nerve stimulation, human postmortem brain tissue, PET imaging, and fecal microbiota analyses.
  • Main analysis is qualitative integration of mechanisms and disease associations; no systematic search strategy or meta-analysis is described.

Limitations

  • Stated in the paper: ASD pilot studies have small sample sizes; the maternal immune activation model has limitations in replicating complex ASD symptomatology; exact SCFA signaling pathways and how GI signals propagate to the CNS are poorly understood; whether disease-associated microbial alterations are a cause or consequence of altered brain function is unclear; the role of SCFAs in PD models is uncertain due to concentration- and region-dependent effects; interindividual variation in PD microbiota is high.
  • Evident from the text: as a narrative review, it does not systematically assess study quality or quantify effects; many conclusions rely on animal models and correlative human data, so causality in humans remains unestablished.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1084/jem.20180794

Cites

212 of 212 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 126 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 86 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 39
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 11
44 of 44
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Environmental factors and mechanisms shaping the developmental, homeostatic, and pathogenic program of microglia remain poorly understood.

    “However, environmental factors and mechanisms shaping the developmental, homeostatic, and pathogenic program of microglia remain poorly understood.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The womb is likely a sterile environment.

    “While the womb is likely a sterile environment”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    BBB-permeable bacterial metabolites, including SCFAs, modulate microglial maturation.

    “BBB-permeable bacterial metabolites, including SCFAs, modulate microglial maturation through mechanisms that are yet to be determined.”
3 of 3

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Opposite directions reported for SCFA levels in ASD

    Major

    Table 1 says SCFA levels are decreased in ASD patients compared with healthy controls, whereas the ASD section says studies found elevated SCFA levels in patients with ASD.

  • Conflicting prevalence bounds for symptoms preceding PD motor symptoms

    Minor

    Table 1 says more than 80% of PD patients report GI dysfunction before motor symptoms. The PD section says nonmotor symptoms, including GI distress, precede motor symptoms in up to 80% of patients; the narrower GI group cannot exceed the stated bound for the broader nonmotor group.

2 of 2

Citations

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Metadata

Authors
Abdel-Haq, R., Schlachetzki, J. C. M., Glass, C. K., & Mazmanian, S. K.
Affiliations
  • California Institute of Technology (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
  • Abdel-Haq, Reem
  • Mazmanian, Sarkis K.
Venue
Journal of Experimental Medicine
Published
2018-11-01
Volume
216
Issue
1
Pages
41-59
ISSN
  • 0022-1007 (ISSN-L)
  • 1540-9538
OpenAlex
W2899046125
Cited by
471
References
214
Citations by year
2026: 51 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 70 · 2023: 76 · 2022: 77 · 2021: 46 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 33
FWCI
2.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journal of Experimental Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Defense (PD160030)
  • Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center
  • National Institutes of Health (AG057706, NS096170, MH100556, NS085910)
  • Heritage Medical Research Institute
  • Simons Foundation (322839)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
Keywords
gut microbiota, microglia, gut-brain axis, neuroinflammation, microglial maturation, neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, microbial treatment, brain microenvironment
MeSH terms
Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Animals, Brain, Humans, Intestines, Microglia, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurodevelopmental Disorders

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