(Medical Xpress) – In a new study published in Communications Biology, Houston Methodist researchers led by Sonia Villapol, Ph.D., found that short-term antibiotic treatment significantly reduced neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration following traumatic brain injury (TBI) by altering the gut microbiome in animal models.
“We found that antibiotic treatment following TBI can reduce harmful gut bacteria, decrease lesion size and limit cell death,” said Villapol, an associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist. “Our results support a gut–brain mechanism in which microbiome changes influence peripheral immunity and, in turn, neuroinflammation after TBI.” CONTINUE