Premium
It takes guts to grow a brain
Author(s) -
Diamond Betty,
Huerta Patricio T.,
Tracey Kevin,
Volpe Bruce T.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201100042
Subject(s) - synaptogenesis , neuroscience , immune system , brain development , biology , brain research , set (abstract data type) , cognitive science , psychology , immunology , computer science , programming language
A new study entitled “Normal gut microbiota modulates brain development and behavior”, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, requires that we reconsider the notion that the brain is an immune‐privileged site. The authors demonstrate that intestinal microbiota must be present within a set time‐frame for normal synaptogenesis to occur in the brain. In the absence of intestinal microbiota, histopathological and behavioral abnormalities arise. These observations necessitate a new look at the many interconnections of the immune system and the brain, suggesting new frontiers for research and new therapeutic strategies for neurodevelopmental diseases.