Brain Network Topology and Structural-Functional Connectivity Coupling Mediate the Association Between Gut Microbiota...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Microbiology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Gut microbiota influences cognition via the gut-brain axis.
• Brain network topology and structural-functional connectivity (SC-FC) coupling roles in microbiota-related cognition are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how gut microbiota affects brain network topology and SC-FC coupling.
• Determine the mediating role of brain networks in the gut microbiota-cognition relationship.

Main Methods:

• Collected fecal samples from 157 healthy adults for 16S sequencing.
• Acquired brain network data using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting-state fMRI.
• Assessed cognition using 3-Back, digit span, and Go/No-Go tasks; employed causal mediation analysis.

Main Results:

• Gut microbiota significantly altered structural and functional brain network properties.
• Gut microbial diversity and enterotypes indirectly influenced cognition by mediating network small-worldness and nodal metrics.
• Gut microbes affected SC-FC coupling in specific brain regions, which in turn influenced cognition.

Conclusions:

• Gut microbiota influences cognition through complex alterations in brain network topology and SC-FC coupling.
• Findings provide novel insights into the network mechanisms underlying the gut-brain axis and cognitive function.
• Highlights the importance of brain connectivity in the gut microbiota-cognition interplay.