Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; APC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2018 Feb;28(2):307-316. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2017.12.004.
Accumulating evidence suggests that certain gut microbiota have antidepressant-like behavioural effects and that the microbiota can regulate neurogenesis and the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus. The precise mechanisms underlying these effects are not yet clear. However, the vagus nerve is one of the primary bidirectional routes of communication between the gut and the brain and thus may represent a candidate mechanism. Yet, relatively little is known about the direct influence of vagus nerve activity on hippocampal function and plasticity. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether constitutive vagus nerve activity contributes to the regulation of neurogenesis and BDNF mRNA expression in the hippocampus. To this end, we examined the impact of subdiaphragmatic vagotomy in adult mice on these parameters. We found that vagotomy decreased BDNF mRNA in all areas of the hippocampus. Vagotomy also reduced the proliferation and survival of newly born cells and decreased the number of immature neurons, particularly those with a more complex dendritic morphology. Taken together, these findings suggest that vagal nerve activity influences neurogenesis and BDNF mRNA expression in the adult hippocampus.
越来越多的证据表明，某些肠道微生物群具有抗抑郁样的行为效应，并且微生物群可以调节海马体中的神经发生和脑源性神经营养因子 (BDNF) 的表达。这些影响的确切机制尚不清楚。然而，迷走神经是肠道和大脑之间的主要双向通讯途径之一，因此可能代表候选机制。然而，关于迷走神经活动对海马体功能和可塑性的直接影响知之甚少。因此，本研究旨在确定组成性迷走神经活动是否有助于调节海马体中的神经发生和 BDNF mRNA 表达。为此，我们检查了成年小鼠膈下迷走神经切断术对这些参数的影响。我们发现迷走神经切断术降低了海马体所有区域的 BDNF mRNA。迷走神经切断术还减少了新生细胞的增殖和存活，并减少了不成熟神经元的数量，特别是具有更复杂树突形态的神经元。总之，这些发现表明迷走神经活动影响成年海马体中的神经发生和 BDNF mRNA 表达。
