This topic is very interesting to me and decided to discuss it for my final review paper. It’s a strange coincidence that it would show up as one of the assignments post-choosing of my topic. It is speculated that there is a bidirectional communication pathway between the brain and gut microbiota. This pathway can affect different functions of the brain including cognition, mental, and emotional health. In a research paper that was done on mice, selected bacteria were given that caused anxiety-like behavior. This is an example of how the gut microbiota can influence the brain. In addition to this, microbial dysbiosis could lead to a lesser quality of life. Having inflammatory bowel disease can affect the individual’s self-esteem, mood, and just cause increased stress in their daily life. On the other hand, there are ways the brain can influence the microbial community in the gut. For example, the fact that the microbial community is responsible for the digestive functions means that dysbiosis can lead to a disruption in the availability of nutrients. Without sufficient nutrients, metabolic functions may not perform at 100% leading the brain and body to function differently. Overall, these are just a few things that associate the brain with the microbial communities of the body and vice versa. Increased research on the topic can lead to further discoveries about the complexity of the body.
