Title: THE BRAIN-GUT-MICROBIOTA AXIS AND THE NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

Biography:

Maria Fernanda Naufel Graduated as a Dietitian, specialist, and master in Nephropediatry and PhD in Nutrition from Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). She has professional experience focusing on Clinical Nutrition, acting on the following subjects: gut hormones, obesity, sleep and mood disorders, nephrology, and postmenopause. Dr. Naufel is a postdoctoral researcher at the UNIFESP and a researcher assistant at Instituto do Coração (InCor HCFMUSP).
Besides, she is a dietitian with 19 years of clinical experience. She has a deep knowledge of clinical nutrition fields, working on topics related to obesity, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, gut hormones, insulin resistance, post-menopause, and chronic kidney disease.

Abstract

The human gut microbiota is a complex and diverse community of microorganisms that various factors such as diet, metabolism, age, geography, stress, seasons, temperature, sleep, and medication can influence. Recent research has suggested a strong and reciprocal relationship between the gut microbiota and the brain, indicating that an imbalance in the gut may play a crucial role in the development, function, and disorders of the central nervous system.
Various mechanisms explain how gut-microbiota interactions affect neuronal activity. The vagus nerve, endocrine, immune, and biochemical pathways mediate the brain-gut-microbiota axis. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been linked to neurological disorders through activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, neurotransmitter imbalance, systemic inflammation, and increased intestinal and blood- brain barrier permeability.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of mental and neurological diseases has increased globally, including among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), making it an essential public health issue. Since an imbalance in the gut microbiota is a significant risk factor for neurological disorders, it is crucial to understand the importance of diagnosing, preventing, and treating dysbiosis, which is commom in CKD. This review provides a summary of evidence demonstrating the influence of gut dysbiosis on mental and neurological disorders.