Bidirectional communication of the intestinal microbiota in the development of the central nervous system and Parkinson's disease

Abstract

The incidence of environmental factors during the period of greater vulnerability of development can disrupt the programming of neurodevelopment manifesting its harmful effects on the structure and function of the brain. By an evolutionary process the intestinal microorganisms keep a symbiotic relationship in the mammals, the intestine of the newborn can be populated quickly and densely by microorganisms that contributes to the development of the epithelial barrier, intestinal homeostasis and innate immunity, this microbiota also has effects on the function and development of other organs. During neurodevelopment, the brain is sensitive to signals originating from the intestinal microbiota and it has been shown that infections caused by microorganisms in this period generate neurological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Studies in rodents show that exposure to Bifidobacterias infantis during neurodevelopment causes anxiety and cognitive impairment. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a α-synucleopathy affecting the braingastrointestinal tract axis, generally neurodegenerative changes and gastrointestinal symptoms precede the neuronal deterioration in this disease, and in its onset the microbiota represents the pathway of internal factors that generate dysregulation of the gastrointestinal tract-brain axis, the association between intestinal dysbiosis and neurological dysfunction suggests that modification of the intestinal microbiota would provide a therapeutic option in PD. The relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiota and the signals modulating brain development and the hypothesis that the pathological process of PD extends from the gastrointestinal tract to the brain is the aim of this review.