microbiota

Microbial modulation of zebrafish behavior and brain development

There is growing recognition that host-associated microbiotas modulate intrinsic neurodevelopmental programs including those underlying human social behavior. Despite this awareness, the fundamental processes are generally not understood. We discovered that the zebrafish microbiota is necessary for normal social behavior. By examining neuronal correlates of behavior, we found that the microbiota restrains neurite complexity and targeting of key forebrain neurons within the social behavior circuitry. The microbiota is also necessary for both localization and molecular functions of forebrain microglia, brain-resident phagocytes that remodel neuronal arbors. In particular, the microbiota promotes expression of complement signaling pathway components important for synapse remodeling. Our work provides evidence that the microbiota modulates zebrafish social behavior by stimulating microglial remodeling of forebrain circuits during early neurodevelopment and suggests molecular pathways for therapeutic interventions during atypical neurodevelopment.

The embodied brain

Understanding the brain is not only intrinsically fascinating, but also highly relevant to increase our well-being since our brain exhibits a power over the body that makes it capable both of provoking illness or facilitating the healing process. Bearing in mind this dark force, brain sciences have undergone and will undergo an important revolution, redefining its boundaries beyond the cranial cavity. During this presentation, we will discuss about the communication between the brain and other systems that shapes how we feel the external word and how we think. We are starting to unravel how our organs talk to the brain and how the brain talks back. That two-way communication encompasses a complex, body-wide system of nerves, hormones and other signals that will be discussed. This presentation aims at challenging a long history of thinking of bodily regulation as separate from "higher" mental processes. Four centuries ago, René Descartes famously conceptualized the mind as being separate from the body, it is time now to embody our mind.

A microbiome-dependent gut-brain pathway regulates motivation for exercise

Effect of the intratumoral microbiota on spatial and cellular heterogeneity in cancer

The person-to-person transmission landscape of the gut and oral microbiomes

The embodied brain

Understanding the brain is not only intrinsically fascinating, but also highly relevant to increase our well-being since our brain exhibits a power over the body that makes it capable both of provoking illness or facilitating the healing process. Bearing in mind this dark force, brain sciences have undergone and will undergo an important revolution, redefining its boundaries beyond the cranial cavity. During this presentation, we will discuss about the communication between the brain and other systems that shapes how we feel the external word and how we think. We are starting to unravel how our organs talk to the brain and how the brain talks back. That two-way communication encompasses a complex, body-wide system of nerves, hormones and other signals that will be discussed. This presentation aims at challenging a long history of thinking of bodily regulation as separate from "higher" mental processes. Four centuries ago, René Descartes famously conceptualized the mind as being separate from the body, it is time now to embody our mind.

Role of the gut microbiota in the development of alcohol use disorder

The gut microbiota is composed of a very large number of bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts that play an important role in the body, through the production of a series of metabolites (including neurotransmitters), and through an essential role in the barrier function of the gut and the regulation of immunity and stress response. In this lecture I will present, based mainly on human studies but also on preclinical studies, the evidence for a role of the gut microbiota in the development of alcohol use disorder. I will show the first results of trials to test the effects of nutritional approaches to address these deficits.

In vitro bioelectronic models of the gut-brain axis

The human gut microbiome has emerged as a key player in the bidirectional communication of the gut-brain axis, affecting various aspects of homeostasis and pathophysiology. Until recently, the majority of studies that seek to explore the mechanisms underlying the microbiome-gut-brain axis cross-talk relied almost exclusively on animal models, and particularly gnotobiotic mice. Despite the great progress made with these models, various limitations, including ethical considerations and interspecies differences that limit the translatability of data to human systems, pushed researchers to seek for alternatives. Over the past decades, the field of in vitro modelling of tissues has experienced tremendous growth, thanks to advances in 3D cell biology, materials, science and bioengineering, pushing further the borders of our ability to more faithfully emulate the in vivo situation. Organ-on-chip technology and bioengineered tissues have emerged as highly promising alternatives to animal models for a wide range of applications. In this talk I’ll discuss our progress towards generating a complete platform of the human microbiota-gut-brain axis with integrated monitoring and sensing capabilities. Bringing together principles of materials science, tissue engineering, 3D cell biology and bioelectronics, we are building advanced models of the GI and the BBB /NVU, with real-time and label-free monitoring units adapted in the model architecture, towards a robust and more physiologically relevant human in vitro model, aiming to i) elucidate the role of microbiota in the gut-brain axis communication, ii) to study how diet and impaired microbiota profiles affect various (patho-)physiologies, and iii) to test personalised medicine approaches for disease modelling and drug testing.

Microbiota in the health of the nervous system and the response to stress

Microbes have shaped the evolution of eukaryotes and contribute significantly to the physiology and behavior of animals. Some of these traits are inherited by the progenies. Despite the vast importance of microbe-host communication, we still do not know how bacteria change short term traits or long-term decisions in individuals or communities. In this seminar I will present our work on how commensal and pathogenic bacteria impact specific neuronal phenotypes and decision making. The traits we specifically study are the degeneration and regeneration of neurons and survival behaviors in animals. We use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its dietary bacteria as model organisms. Both nematode and bacteria are genetically tractable, simplifying the detection of specific molecules and their effect on measurable characteristics. To identify these molecules we analyze their genomes, transcriptomes and metabolomes, followed by functional in vivo validation. We found that specific bacterial RNAs and bacterially produced neurotransmitters are key to trigger a survival behavioral and neuronal protection respectively. While RNAs cause responses that lasts for many generations we are still investigating whether bacterial metabolites are capable of inducing long lasting phenotypic changes.

How much gut needs the brain ? Gut microbiota-immune crosstalk in neuroinflammation

Microbiome and behaviour: Exploring underlying mechanisms

Environmental insults alter brain function and behaviour inboth rodents and people. One putative underlying mechanism that has receivedsubstantial attention recently is the gut microbiota, the ecosystem ofsymbiotic microorganisms that populate the intestinal tract, which is known toplay a role in brain health and function via the gut-brain axis. Two keyenvironmental insults known to affect both brain function and behaviour, andthe gut microbiome, are poor diet and psychological stress. While there isstrong evidence for interactions between the microbiome and host physiology inthe context of chronic stress, little is known about the role of the microbiomein the host response to acute stress. Determining the underlying mechanisms bywhich stress may provoke functional changes in the gut and brain is criticalfor developing therapeutics to alleviate adverse consequences of traumaticstress.

Gut Feelings: The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis Across the Lifespan

The microbiota-gut-brain axis is emerging as a research area of increasing interest for those investigating the biological and physiological basis of brain development and behaviour during early life, adolescence & ageing. The routes of communication between the gut and brain include the vagus nerve, the immune system, tryptophan metabolism, via the enteric nervous system or by way of microbial metabolites such as short chain fatty acids. Studies in animal models have shown that the development of an appropriate stress response is dependent on the microbiota. Developmentally, a variety of factors can impact the microbiota in early life including mode of birth delivery, antibiotic exposure, mode of nutritional provision, infection, stress as well as host genetics. Recently, the gut microbiota has been implicated in regulating the stress response, and social behaviour. Moreover, fundamental brain processes from adult hippocampal neurogenesis to myelination to microglia activation have been shown to be regulated by the microbiome. Further studies will focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying such brain effects and how they can be exploited by microbiota-targeted interventions including ‘psychobiotics’ and diet

New Strategies and Approaches to Tackle and Understand Neurological Disorder

Broadly, the Mauro Costa-Mattioli laboratory (The MCM Lab) encompasses two complementary lines of research. The first one, more traditional but very important, aims at unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation (e.g., using state-of-the-art molecular and cell-specific genetic approaches). Learning and memory disorders can strike the brain during development (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorders and Down Syndrome), as well as during adulthood (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). We are interested in understanding the specific circuits and molecular pathways that are primarily targeted in these disorders and how they can be restored. To tackle these questions, we use a multidisciplinary, convergent and cross-species approach that combines mouse and fly genetics, molecular biology, electrophysiology, stem cell biology, optogenetics and behavioral techniques. The second line of research, more recent and relatively unexplored, is focused on understanding how gut microbes control CNS driven-behavior and brain function. Our recent discoveries, that microbes in the gut could modulate brain function and behavior in a very powerful way, have added a whole new dimension to the classic view of how complex behaviors are controlled. The unexpected findings have opened new avenues of study for us and are currently driving my lab to answer a host of new and very interesting questions: - What are the gut microbes (and metabolites) that regulate CNS-driven behaviors? Would it be possible to develop an unbiased screening method to identify specific microbes that regulate different behaviors? - If this is the case, can we identify how members of the gut microbiome (and their metabolites) mechanistically influence brain function? - What is the communication channel between the gut microbiota and the brain? Do different gut microbes use different ways to interact with the brain? - Could disruption of the gut microbial ecology cause neurodevelopmental dysfunction? If so, what is the impact of disruption in young and adult animals? - More importantly, could specific restoration of selected bacterial strains (new generation probiotics) represent a novel therapeutic approach for the targeted treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders? - Finally, can we develop microbiota-directed therapeutic foods to repair brain dysfunction in a variety of neurological disorders?

Interactions between the microbiome and nervous system during early development

The gut microbiota is emerging as an important modulator of brain function and behavior, as several recent discoveries reveal substantial effects of the microbiome on neurophysiology, neuroimmunity and animal behavior. Despite these findings supporting a “microbiome-gut-brain axis”, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie interactions between the gut microbiota and brain remain poorly understood. To uncover these, the Hsiao laboratory is mining the human microbiota for microbial modulators of host neuroactive molecules, investigating the impact of microbiota-immune system interactions on neurodevelopment and examining the microbiome as an interface between gene-environment interactions in neurological diseases. In particular, our research on effects of the maternal microbiome on offspring development in utero are revealing novel interactions between microbiome-dependent metabolites and fetal thalamocortical axonogenesis. Overall, we aim to dissect biological pathways for communication between the gut microbiota and nervous system, toward understanding fundamental interactions between physiological systems that impact brain and behavior.

Bacterial Peptidoglycans from Microbiota in Neurodevelopment and Behavior

NEURON TYPE- AND SYNAPSE-SPECIFIC DEFINITION OF DORSAL STRIATAL CIRCUITS RELEVANT TO IMPAIRED GOAL-DIRECTED VERSUS HABITUAL BEHAVIOURS IN MICROBIOTA-DEFICIENT MICE

FENS Forum 2026

TAAR5 GENETIC DELETION ALTERS GUT MICROBIOTA IN MICE

FENS Forum 2026

LACK OF SINGLE AMINO ACIDS TRANSCRIPTIONALLY TUNES SENSORY SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE MICROBIOTA INTAKE

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AKKERMANSIA-ASSOCIATED METABOLIC REMODELING LINKS GUT MICROBIOTA CHANGES TO NEUROBEHAVIORAL RECOVERY FOLLOWING INVASIVE LASER ACUPUNCTURE

FENS Forum 2026

SOCIALGUT: UNRAVELING NEURAL CIRCUITS OF GUT MICROBIOTA INFLUENCE ON SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

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MICROBIOTA–MICROGLIA INTERACTIONS IN HUMAN CORTICAL CIRCUITS FUNCTION AND EPILEPTIC DISORDER

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EXPLORING NEUROBIOLOGICAL FACTORS UNDERLYING RISK AND RESILIENCY FOR EMOTIONAL DYSREGULATION AND THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF FECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTATION IN ANIMALS PRENATALLY EXPOSED TO ALCOHOL

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A NUTRITIONAL CHALLENGE REPROGRAMS MICROGLIAL TRANSCRIPTOME AND FUNCTION VIA GUT MICROBIOTA–BRAIN CROSSTALK

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KETOGENIC DIET–INDUCED CHANGES IN EARLY-LIFE GUT MICROBIOTA DEVELOPMENT

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GUT MICROBIOTA REGULATES EXERCISE-INDUCED HORMETIC MODULATION OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION

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GUT MICROBIOTA CONTROL OF BRAIN RESPONSES TO STRESS

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HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND GUT MICROBIOTA INTERACTION IN DEPRESSION VULNERABILITY: A NON-CLINICAL EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION<EM> </EM>

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THE MATERNAL GUT MICROBIOTA REGULATES EMBRYONIC CORTICAL DEVELOPMENT IN MICE

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MATERNAL TRANSFER OF AUTISM-ASSOCIATED MICROBIOTA INDUCES SEX-SPECIFIC HIPPOCAMPAL TRANSCRIPTOMIC ALTERATIONS IN MOUSE OFFSPRING

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IL-17-MICROBIOTA CROSSTALK REGULATES PERIPHERAL NERVE REGENERATION

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ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLEXITY MODULATES THE MICROBIOTA-GUT–BRAIN AXIS DURING EXPERIMENTAL COLITIS

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MAPPING OF VAGAL-DERIVED BRAINSTEM PATHWAYS AND THEIR POTENTIAL INFLUENCE IN DOPAMINERGIC NEURON DEGENERATION USING CONVENTIONAL AND MICROBIOTA-DEFICIENT MICE

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INFLUENCE OF NATURAL MICROBIOTA ON IMMUNE INFILTRATION AND MOTOR RECOVERY AFTER STROKE IN THE WILDLING MOUSE MODEL

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EFFECT OF ARIPIPRAZOLE /PROBIOTICS TREATMENT ON MICROBIOTA AND BEHAVIOR IN AN ANIMAL MODEL OF PTSD

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IMPACT OF GUT-MICROBIOTA-DERIVED INDOLE COMPOUNDS ON EARLY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN MICE

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MATERNAL FIBER AND GUT MICROBIOTA SHAPE LONG-TERM METABOLIC AND AUTONOMIC HEALTH IN OFFSPRING

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THE ROLE OF GLYCINE AS MEDIATOR OF GUT MICROBIOTA ALTERATION IN A GLIOBLASTOMA CONTEXT

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SPLEEN MICROBIOTA-BEHAVIOUR-NEUROGENESIS ASSOCIATIONS IN A SINGLE PROLONGED STRESS MODEL OF PTSD: EFFECT OF ARIPIPRAZOLE

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EARLY-LIFE IMMUNE ACTIVATION IN RATS INDUCES SEX-SPECIFIC ALTERATIONS IN SENSORIMOTOR GATING, BRAIN METABOLIC CONNECTIVITY AND GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION

FENS Forum 2026

UROCORTINS AS MODULATORS OF BEHAVIOR, NEUROGENESIS, AND MICROBIOTA IN AN ANIMAL MODEL OF PTSD

FENS Forum 2026

THE MATERNAL GUT MICROBIOTA SHAPES NEUROVASCULAR DEVELOPMENT IN MICE

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TARGETING GUT MICROBIOTA COUNTERACTS HIGH-FAT DIET–DRIVEN BEHAVIOURAL AND MOTOR ALTERATIONS IN EAE MICE

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GUT MICROBIOTA–T CELL AXIS LINKS HIGH-FAT DIET TO CENTRAL SYNAPTOPATHY IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

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NEW INSIGHS ON THE EFFECTS OF MATERNAL GUT MICROBIOTA MODULATION ON RAT OFFSPRING’S IMMUNE RESPONSES IN THE SPLEEN AND SMALL INTESTINE

FENS Forum 2026

NKCC1 INHIBITION PREVENTS DYSREGULATION OF STRESS AND INFLAMMATORY SIGNALING, INTERGENERATIONAL BRAIN-GUT-MICROBIOTA AXIS DISRUPTION AND BEHAVIORAL ABNORMALITIES FOLLOWING MATERNAL PRECONCEPTION TBI

FENS Forum 2026

INFLAMMASOME BLOCKADE PREVENTS MICROBIOTA-INDUCED ANXIETY AND HIPPOCAMPAL MICROGLIA–PERINEURONAL NETS REMODELING

FENS Forum 2026

ANTIBIOTIC-MEDIATED GUT MICROBIOTA DEPLETION DISRUPTS BEHAVIORAL AND NEURONAL CORRELATES OF SPATIAL COGNITION

FENS Forum 2026

MEAL TIMING MODULATES COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND CIRCADIAN NEUROBIOLOGY VIA THE GUT MICROBIOTA: HUMAN EVIDENCE AND TRANSLATIONAL FINDINGS IN MURINE MODELS

FENS Forum 2026

MULTIMODAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BINGE EATING DISORDER IN WILD-TYPE MICE: BEHAVIORAL, PROTEOMIC AND GUT MICROBIOTA (16S RRNA) ANALYSES

FENS Forum 2026

Effect of gut microbiota from children with autism spectrum disorder on behavior and ASD-related biological markers in germ-free mice

Effects of early-life sodium butyrate supplementation on autism-like behavioral phenotype, neuroinflammatory profile and gut microbiota alterations induced by maternal immune activation in mouse offspring

Exploring the gut-microbiota-brain axis in a Spanish population in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic

Fecal Microbiota Transfer reduces alcohol preference in stressed rats

Human iPSC-based millifluidic model of the BBB/brain as part of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain axis MINERVA platform

Impact of the gut microbiota on nicotine effects and glia within the reward system in mice