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Related Concept Videos

Organization of the Brain01:30

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The brain is an integral component of the nervous system and serves as the center for processing sensory inputs, making decisions, and directing bodily actions. This complex organ is organized into three primary sections: the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain, each responsible for a range of vital functions.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 2, 2025

Investigating Alterations in Caecum Microbiota After Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice
04:29

Investigating Alterations in Caecum Microbiota After Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice

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Is There a Brain Microbiome?

Christopher D Link1

  • 1Department of Integrative Physiology/Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.

Neuroscience Insights
|June 9, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The human brain may harbor microbes, particularly in diseased states, but definitive proof of a healthy brain microbiome is lacking. Further animal model studies are needed to confirm microbial presence in healthy brains.

Keywords:
16S rRNARNA-seqmetagenomicsneurodegenerative disease“kitome”

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Microbiology
  • Human Brain Research

Background:

  • Microbial sequences are detected in both healthy and diseased human brain samples.
  • The origin of these microbial findings (artifactual vs. true colonization) remains unresolved.
  • Potential roles of resident microbes in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases drive research interest.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the evidence for microbial presence in the human brain.
  • To distinguish between artifactual findings and true microbial colonization.
  • To assess the likelihood of a resident microbiome in healthy versus diseased brains.

Main Methods:

  • Review and critical analysis of existing studies on microbial detection in human brain tissue.
  • Evaluation of evidence for microbial presence in pathological versus non-pathological samples.
  • Consideration of the need for dedicated animal models to establish ground truth.

Main Results:

  • Strong evidence suggests the presence of microbes in diseased human brains.
  • Compelling evidence for resident microbes in the healthy human brain is currently lacking.
  • Artifactual explanations for microbial detection cannot be fully excluded for healthy brain samples.

Conclusions:

  • While microbes appear to colonize diseased brains, their presence in healthy brains requires further investigation.
  • Dedicated animal model studies are essential to definitively determine the existence of a healthy brain microbiome.
  • The potential role of a brain microbiome in neurological diseases warrants continued research.