Fan Kang-Chen, Lin Chen-Ching, Liu Yi-Chien, Chao Yi-Ping, Lai Yen-Jun, Chiu Yen-Ling, Chuang Yi-Fang
School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2023 May 25;15:1162057. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1162057. eCollection 2023.
The microbiota-gut-brain axis is implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Gut microbiota alterations in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are inconsistent and remain to be understood. This study aims to investigate the gut microbial composition associated with MCI, cognitive functions, and structural brain differences.
A nested case-control study was conducted in a community-based prospective cohort where detailed cognitive functions and structural brain images were collected. Thirty-one individuals with MCI were matched to sixty-five cognitively normal controls by age strata, gender, and urban/rural area. Fecal samples were examined using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) V3-V4 sequencing. Compositional differences between the two groups were identified and correlated with the cognitive functions and volumes/thickness of brain structures.
There was no significant difference in alpha and beta diversity between MCIs and cognitively normal older adults. However, the abundance of the genus , , and decreased in MCI patients, while an increased abundance of nine other genera, such as , were found in MCIs. Altered genera discriminated MCI patients well from controls (AUC = 84.0%) and were associated with attention and executive function.
This study provides insights into the role of gut microbiota in the neurodegenerative process.
微生物群-肠-脑轴与阿尔茨海默病有关。轻度认知障碍（MCI）患者的肠道微生物群改变并不一致，仍有待进一步了解。本研究旨在调查与MCI、认知功能和脑结构差异相关的肠道微生物组成。
在一个基于社区的前瞻性队列中进行了一项巢式病例对照研究，收集了详细的认知功能和脑结构图像。31名MCI患者按年龄层、性别和城乡地区与65名认知正常的对照进行匹配。使用16S核糖体RNA（rRNA）V3-V4测序检查粪便样本。确定两组之间的组成差异，并将其与认知功能以及脑结构的体积/厚度相关联。
MCI患者与认知正常的老年人之间的α和β多样性没有显著差异。然而，MCI患者中、和属的丰度降低，而在MCI患者中发现其他九个属（如属）的丰度增加。改变的属能很好地将MCI患者与对照区分开来（AUC = 84.0%），并且与注意力和执行功能相关。
本研究为肠道微生物群在神经退行性过程中的作用提供了见解。
