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Two pink-colored, rod-shaped bacteria interacting with a blue-colored human cell
Gut Bacterium Linked to Depression in Premenopause
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Mar 17, 2023 | 2 min read
The opportunistic pathogen Klebsiella aerogenes degrades estradiol and induces depressive-like behavior in mice, a study finds.
Artist’s rendition of a neuron silhouetted against a glowing red background.
SNO-y Protein Levels Help Explain Why More Women Develop Alzheimer’s
Dan Robitzski | Jan 6, 2023 | 4 min read
Female postmortem brains contain more S-nitrosylated C3 proteins, likely linked to menopause, which instruct immune cells to kill neuronal synapses.
Illustration of green fluorescent bacterial cells.
Cocaine Use Creates Feedback Loop with Gut Bacteria: Mouse Study
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Nov 1, 2022 | 3 min read
A jolt of norepinephrine in the mouse gut facilitates colonization by certain microbes, which in turn deplete glycine, enhancing cocaine-induced behaviors.
purple and green microscopic view of sea anemone neurons and stinging cells
Science Snapshot: With Fronds Like These, Who Needs Anemones?
Lisa Winter | Oct 4, 2022 | 1 min read
This year’s third-place winner of the 2022 Nikon Small World in Motion competition features sea anemone cells.
Artist’s rendition of bright blue microbes among intestinal lining
Study Links Depression with High Levels of an Amino Acid
Dan Robitzski | Jun 14, 2022 | 5 min read
Experiments in animals and observations in humans suggest that the amount of proline circulating in one’s plasma has a strong association with depression severity.
A white lab mouse peers over the wall of a sprawling maze
Bacterial Metabolite May Regulate Cognition in Mice
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Jun 3, 2022 | 3 min read
Microbes in the gut influence the death of support cells in the brain by producing isoamylamine, a study suggests.
Equid burial from Umm el-Marra, Syria
Caught on Camera
The Scientist | Mar 14, 2022 | 1 min read
Selected images from the-scientist.com
illustration of human brain
COVID-19 Linked to Neural Changes
Shawna Williams | Mar 7, 2022 | 3 min read
A study that examined the brains of people before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection found a decrease in brain volume and damage to olfactory areas compared with controls.
illustration of neurons in blue with synapses lighting up
Gut Molecule Linked to Decreased Myelination in Mouse Brains
Angie Voyles Askham, Spectrum | Feb 17, 2022 | 4 min read
A study shows that a molecule produced by intestinal microbes can enter the brain and that its presence is also associated with altered brain connectivity.
Illustration of gray bacteriophages approaching and infecting a red and orange bacteria that has multiple fimbria protruding from it.
Bacteria-Infecting Viruses in Gut Microbiome Linked to Cognition
Dan Robitzski | Feb 16, 2022 | 5 min read
Research in mice and flies suggests that bacteriophages, including those found in dairy foods, may have an influence on an animals’ ability to learn and remember information.
Artist’s rendering of a light purple Ebola virus looping around itself that’s surrounded by red blood cells
Ebola Lurking in Brain Fluid Kills Monkeys Weeks After Recovery
Dan Robitzski | Feb 9, 2022 | 4 min read
New research reveals where the virus was hiding and hints at how to truly purge it from the body.
Artist’s rendering of brain fog: a bright blue drawing of a brain sits inside of a pink drawing of a head in profile surrounded by miscellaneous shapes
Brain Fog Caused by Long COVID and Chemo Appear Similar
Dan Robitzski | Jan 28, 2022 | 6 min read
Data from mouse models for mild coronavirus infections and human tissue samples offer further evidence that it doesn’t take a severe infection—or even infection of brain cells at all—to cause long-term neurological symptoms.
Epstein-Barr virus EBV, a herpes virus which causes infectious mononucleosis and Burkitt's lymphoma isolated on black background. 3D illustration
Epstein-Barr Virus Causes Multiple Sclerosis: Study
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Jan 13, 2022 | 3 min read
Experts say new research provides strong evidence that a common herpesvirus can trigger the chronic inflammatory disease.
white mouse running on a light blue wheel
Tinkering with Gut Microbes Boosts Brain Plasticity in Mice
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Jan 13, 2022 | 4 min read
Intestinal bacteria contribute to the effect of stimulating environments on the brain’s ability to adapt, a study concludes.
Artist's impression of the human microbiome
Diet Implicated in Autism-Microbiome Link
Ruth Williams | Nov 11, 2021 | 3 min read
The unbalanced gut flora present in some people with autism is not a driver of the condition but rather a consequence of eating behaviors characteristic of the condition, a new study claims.
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Fecal Transplant Restores Youth to Old Mice
Roni Dengler, PhD | Aug 30, 2021 | 3 min read
Microbiota from young mice reversed some aspects of aging and enhanced brain health in aged mice.
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Gut Bugs May Help Centenarians Reach Their 100th Birthdays
Roni Dengler, PhD | Aug 30, 2021 | 3 min read
Centenarians have distinct microbiomes with species that produce unique bile acids, which may help thwart illness.
a close-up photo of C. elegans worms
Eyeless C. elegans Perceives Colors: Study
Shawna Williams | Mar 4, 2021 | 4 min read
The roundworm uses cues from visible light to help avoid eating toxic bacteria with a distinguishing hue.
Black in X Addresses Long-Standing Inequity in STEM
Lisa Winter | Nov 16, 2020 | 7 min read
In a year of racial tumult, Black scientists are uniting for visibility and action. 
Commensal Bacterium Reduces ALS Symptoms in Mice
Jef Akst | Jul 24, 2019 | 2 min read
Boosting the levels of Akkermansia muciniphila in mouse guts slowed the progression of an ALS-like disease, while two other microbiome members were associated with more severe symptoms.
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