An Emerging Role for the Gut Microbiome in Tauopathy

Overview

Journal Neurotherapeutics

Specialty Neurology

Date 2024 Jul 4

PMID 38964948

Authors

Yiyang Zhu

Wade K Self

David M Holtzman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Tauopathies constitute a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by abnormal aggregation of the protein tau, progressive neuronal and synaptic loss, and eventual cognitive and motor impairment. In this review, we will highlight the latest efforts investigating the intricate interplay between the gut microbiome and tauopathies. We discuss the physiological interactions between the microbiome and the brain as well as clinical and experimental evidence that suggests that the presence of tauopathy alters the composition of gut microbiota. We explore both animal and human studies that define causative relationships between the gut microbiome and tauopathy by directly manipulating or transferring gut microbiota. This review highlights future directions into identifying and mechanistically elucidating microbial species causally linked to tauopathies, with an ultimate goal of devising therapeutic targets towards the gut microbiome to treat tauopathies.

Citing Articles

Gut microbiota dysbiosis and neurologic diseases: New Horizon with potential diagnostic and therapeutic impact.

Keshavarzian A, Sisodia S Neurotherapeutics. 2024; 21(6):e00478.

PMID: 39488472 PMC: 11585866. DOI: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00478.

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