Mapping the route of short-chain fatty acids along the human gut-brain axis

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the major products of bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber in the colon and can modulate brain function in preclinical studies. During my PhD, I found that administration of SCFAs to healthy men reduced the cortisol response to psychosocial stress. In this project, I will further investigate how SCFA affect the brain. I propose to conduct an observational study utilizing samples from 220 participants collected during my PhD to evaluate whether interindividual variability in microbiota composition and its SCFA-producing capacity are predictors of sensitivity to stress. Furthermore, in an intervention study, I will establish whether different routes of administration of SCFA (resulting in different circulating concentrations and different hormone and inflammatory responses) differently affect the stress response. Finally, I will investigate SCFAs’ ability to modulate the neuroepigenetics that underlie the stress response. The results of this project would corroborate SCFAs as a target for development of new preventive or therapeutic strategies in relation to mood disorders and begin to characterize individuals who are most likely to benefit from such therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:psychosocial stress, short-chain fatty acids, neuroepigenetics, bacterial fermentation, gut microbiota

Disciplines:Neurosciences not elsewhere classified, Psychopharmacology, Gastro-enterology, Dietetics and molecular nutrition, Human experimental psychology not elsewhere classified