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Published on: July 28, 2023
Chronic Helminth Infection Perturbs the Gut-Brain Axis, Promotes Neuropathology, and Alters Behavior
Paul R Giacomin1, Ann Katrin Kraeuter2, Eduardo A Albornoz3
1Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, Australia.
Abstract:
Helminth infections in children are associated with impaired cognitive development; however, the biological mechanisms for this remain unclear. Using a murine model of gastrointestinal helminth infection, we demonstrate that early-life exposure to helminths promotes local and systemic inflammatory responses and transient changes in the gastrointestinal microbiome. Behavioral and cognitive analyses performed 9-months postinfection revealed deficits in spatial recognition memory and an anxiety-like behavioral phenotype in worm-infected mice, which was associated with neuropathology and increased microglial activation within the brain. This study demonstrates a previously unrecognized mechanism through which helminth infections may influence cognitive function, via perturbations in the gut-immune-brain axis.
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