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"... Now, a study published January 11 in Cell Reports finds that the environment could act indirectly: living in enriched environments changes the animals’ gut microbiota, which appears to modulate plasticity. ...
To assess plasticity, the team used monocular deprivation, where the input to one eye is blocked by sewing it shut so that neurons in the visual cortex are driven to shift to responding to the other eye. In mice raised in enriched cages, this shift can be observed after several days of deprivation, while the neurons of mice raised in standard housing never make the shift.
In a first step, the researchers analyzed the spectrum of bacteria present in the guts of mice raised in standard cages and in enriched cages. Although both groups of mice ate the same diet, the microbiota composition in their gut began to differ as the mice grew up, and had diverged substantially by 90 days after birth. "
To assess plasticity, the team used monocular deprivation, where the input to one eye is blocked by sewing it shut so that neurons in the visual cortex are driven to shift to responding to the other eye. In mice raised in enriched cages, this shift can be observed after several days of deprivation, while the neurons of mice raised in standard housing never make the shift.
In a first step, the researchers analyzed the spectrum of bacteria present in the guts of mice raised in standard cages and in enriched cages. Although both groups of mice ate the same diet, the microbiota composition in their gut began to differ as the mice grew up, and had diverged substantially by 90 days after birth. "
From the abstract:
"Exposing animals to an enriched environment (EE) has dramatic effects on brain structure, function, and plasticity. ... revealing that gut microbiota signals are crucial for EE-driven plasticity. Developmental analysis reveals striking differences in intestinal bacteria composition between EE and standard rearing (ST) mice, as well as enhanced levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in EE mice. Depleting the microbiota of EE mice with antibiotics strongly decreases SCFA and prevents activation of adult ocular dominance plasticity, spine dynamics, and microglia rearrangement. SCFA treatment in ST mice mimics EE induction of ocular dominance plasticity and microglial remodeling. Remarkably, transferring the microbiota of EE mice to ST recipients activates adult ocular dominance plasticity. Thus, experience-dependent changes in gut microbiota regulate brain plasticity."
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