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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 13, 2025

Intracerebroventricular Delivery of Gut-Derived Microbial Metabolites in Freely Moving Mice

Intracerebroventricular Delivery of Gut-Derived Microbial Metabolites in Freely Moving Mice

Published on: June 2, 2022

Identifying Microbiome-Mediated Behaviour in Wild Vertebrates.

Gabrielle L Davidson¹, Aura Raulo², Sarah C L Knowles²

¹Department of Psychology, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|August 2, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The gut microbiome influences brain and behavior, but its role in wild animals is unknown. Future research should combine observation with manipulation to understand this microbiome-gut-brain axis in natural settings.

Keywords:

behaviour behavioural plasticity cognition gut microbiome microbiome–gut–brain axis

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Area of Science:

Behavioral Ecology
Neuroscience
Microbiome Research

Background:

Laboratory studies show the vertebrate gut microbiome significantly impacts brain function and behavior.
The ecological relevance of the microbiome-gut-brain (MGB) axis in natural populations is largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the importance of studying the MGB axis in natural populations for behavioral ecology.
To explore how gut microbiome influences behavior and cognition in free-living animals.
To shed light on the evolution and mechanisms of behavioral plasticity.

Main Methods:

Review and proposal of a toolkit of approaches for studying the MGB axis in natural systems.
Emphasis on integrating observational data with manipulative approaches in free-living animals.

Main Results:

The ecological relevance of the MGB axis in natural settings remains an open research question.
A combination of observational and manipulative studies is crucial for advancing understanding.

Conclusions:

Investigating the MGB axis in natural populations is critical for behavioral ecology.
Future research should focus on manipulative experiments in free-living animals to understand microbiome-behavior links and their evolutionary implications.