Regulation of Neurotransmitters by the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Cognition in Neurological Disorders

Chen, Yijing; Xu, Jinying; Chen, Yu

doi:10.3390/nu13062099

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Regulation of Neurotransmitters by the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Cognition in Neurological Disorders

by

Yijing Chen

¹,

Jinying Xu

^1,2 and

Yu Chen

^1,2,3,*

¹

Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen–Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China

²

Shenzhen College of Advanced Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

³

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Disease and Drug Development, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen–Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518057, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Nutrients 2021, 13(6), 2099; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062099

Submission received: 21 April 2021 / Revised: 14 June 2021 / Accepted: 16 June 2021 / Published: 19 June 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gut Microbiota in Cognition, Behaviour and Alzheimer's Disease)

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Abstract

Emerging evidence indicates that gut microbiota is important in the regulation of brain activity and cognitive functions. Microbes mediate communication among the metabolic, peripheral immune, and central nervous systems via the microbiota–gut–brain axis. However, it is not well understood how the gut microbiome and neurons in the brain mutually interact or how these interactions affect normal brain functioning and cognition. We summarize the mechanisms whereby the gut microbiota regulate the production, transportation, and functioning of neurotransmitters. We also discuss how microbiome dysbiosis affects cognitive function, especially in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Keywords: gut microbiota; neurotransmitters; cognition; neurodegeneration; Alzheimer’s disease

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chen, Y.; Xu, J.; Chen, Y. Regulation of Neurotransmitters by the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Cognition in Neurological Disorders. Nutrients 2021, 13, 2099. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062099

AMA Style

Chen Y, Xu J, Chen Y. Regulation of Neurotransmitters by the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Cognition in Neurological Disorders. Nutrients. 2021; 13(6):2099. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062099

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chen, Yijing, Jinying Xu, and Yu Chen. 2021. "Regulation of Neurotransmitters by the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Cognition in Neurological Disorders" Nutrients 13, no. 6: 2099. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062099

APA Style

Chen, Y., Xu, J., & Chen, Y. (2021). Regulation of Neurotransmitters by the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Cognition in Neurological Disorders. Nutrients, 13(6), 2099. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062099

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Regulation of Neurotransmitters by the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Cognition in Neurological Disorders

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