Probiotics for Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Microbiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly, marked by amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, leading to cognitive and memory deficits.
• Alterations in gut microbial diversity and gut-brain axis function are increasingly linked to AD pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current evidence on the role of probiotics in preventing Alzheimer's disease.
• To summarize the diversity of bacterial strains, gut-brain axis defects in AD, and probiotic mechanisms of action.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Semantic Scholar, Nature, and Springer Link.
• Keywords included "Probiotics OR gut microbiome OR microbes" AND "Alzheimer OR cognitive OR aging OR dementia" AND "clinical trial OR in vivo OR animal study".
• Inclusion criteria and publication year limitations resulted in the review of 22 selected articles.

Main Results:

• Probiotic supplementation has demonstrated effectiveness in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
• Probiotics modulate inflammatory processes, counteract oxidative stress, and positively alter gut microbiota composition.
• Selected bacterial strains have shown efficacy in both in vivo and clinical trials.

Conclusions:

• Probiotics represent a promising preventative measure against cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.
• Understanding the mechanisms of action and specific bacterial strains can help develop novel therapeutic strategies.
• Probiotics offer a safe therapeutic avenue, free from adverse effects in humans.