Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Gut-Brain Axis

Gut-Brain Axis

The gut–brain axis is a bidirectional communication system that connects the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. This interaction is mediated through multiple pathways, including the vagus nerve, hormonal signals, immune responses, and chemical messengers produced by gut microbes.Microbial Contributions to Brain FunctionGut microbiota contributes significantly to brain function by producing neuroactive compounds. These include neuroactive compounds that influence neurotransmitters such...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Neural Correlates of Cognitive Fatigue in Problematic Smartphone Users: A Task-Based fMRI Study.

Brain research bulletin·2026

Same author

Dynamic alterations of thrombotic molecular markers in acute ischemic stroke patients after intravenous thrombolysis: a prospective cohort study.

BMC neurology·2026

Same author

Discrimination of generalized anxiety and major depressive disorders by machine learning of resting-state functional MRI.

BMC psychiatry·2026

Same author

Hemocyanin modulates ferroptosis through a HSP90-dependent antioxidant function in shrimp.

Fish & shellfish immunology·2026

Same author

Molecular contextualization of the neural correlates of episodic memory.

Brain research bulletin·2026

Same author

Personalized Estimates of Brain Cortical Structural Similarity in Major Depressive Disorder: Evidence from a Multi-Site Neuroimaging Dataset.

Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Published on: September 12, 2011

Associations among microbial enterotype, brain structure, and working memory: A combined structural and diffusion MRI

Zhonghao Rao¹, Yu Shi¹, Min She¹

¹Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China.

|October 18, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Gut microbiome enterotypes are linked to brain structure differences, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. This brain region mediates the relationship between enterotype and working memory performance.

Keywords:

Brain structure Enterotype Gut microbiome MRI Working memory

More Related Videos

Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging

Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging

Published on: November 8, 2012

Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity

Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity

Published on: July 1, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Published on: September 12, 2011

Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging

Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging

Published on: November 8, 2012

Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity

Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity

Published on: July 1, 2014

Area of Science:

Microbiome research
Neuroimaging
Cognitive neuroscience

Background:

Enterotype analysis classifies individuals by gut microbial composition.
Gut enterotype influences brain function and working memory, but brain structural links are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the relationship between gut enterotypes and brain structure.
Examine how brain structure mediates the link between enterotype and working memory.

Main Methods:

Collected fecal samples from 511 healthy adults for 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing to determine enterotypes (Bacteroides, Prevotella, Ruminococcaceae).
Used structural and diffusion MRI to assess brain gray matter morphology and white matter integrity.
Analyzed inter-enterotype differences in brain structure and their correlation with working memory.

Main Results:

Significant differences in prefrontal cortex cortical thickness and white matter tracts (cerebral peduncle, cingulum) were observed across enterotypes.
Prefrontal cortex thickness correlated with working memory performance.
Prefrontal cortex thickness significantly mediated the association between enterotype and working memory.

Conclusions:

Gut microbiome enterotypes are associated with distinct brain structural characteristics.
Prefrontal cortex structure plays a mediating role in the gut microbiota-brain-cognition axis.
Findings support further research into the microbiota-brain-cognition relationship.