BDNF & anti-depressant effects are linked with butyrate producing gut microbiome species ... and both are linked with exercise.

It is time for me to exercise more and sit at the computer less... cognitive stimulation likely is also protective though - brainy puzzles & learning new topics.

Why should we care about brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)? It promotes growth of brain cells in the hippocampus which is where we have active daily memory - or we don’t in Alzheimer’s dementia.

“Downregulation of BDNF expression, which is associated with decreased adult hippocampal neurogenesis, occurs in brains of older adults with decreased learning ability [27,28] and those of patients with major depressive disorders [29]. Moreover, decreased levels of BDNF expression in older adults could result in impaired memory, neurodegeneration and other cognitive impairments typical of Alzheimer’s disease [30].” (Amagase, et al., 2023)

Simple tactic to promote BDNF production and improved growth of new cells within the hippocampus —> exercise more! Muscles release signaling chemicals called myokines which are similar to cytokines. Myokines promoted by exercise helps promote BDNF production within the hippocampus. Elizabeth Frates, MD, (Youtube, brief)

Cognitive exercise has also been found to help stimulate BDNF production - so remember to do some mental push-ups with interesting new topics or challenging puzzles. Changing things up likely helps - don’t always take a walk around the same route, explore new locations or just walk the same route in the reverse direction for a new look at life. (Brave AI Summary)

• Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Clinician Wellness with Elizabeth Frates, MD. Some of the More Recent Findings on the Benefits of Exercise: Part 5.

  Harvard Medical School Continuing Education, (Youtube, brief, *embedded above).

• Irisin, a myokine that promotes BDNF - Brave AI summary.

• Irisin: A New Code Uncover the Relationship of Skeletal Muscle and Cardiovascular Health During Exercise - 2021 review article, Fulltext available - (Ma, et al., 2021)

Exercise also is good for the microbiome and helps promote butyrate producing species - Fulltext article - (Clauss, et al., 2021)

• The Exercise Neuroscientist: NEW RESEARCH, The Shocking Link Between Exercise and Dementia! The Diary Of A CEO An interview with “Dr Wendy Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University and the bestselling author of books such as, ‘Good Anxiety’ and ‘Healthy Brain, Happy Life’.” (Youtube)

Someone took notes for us and left them in a comment on the interview video with Dr. Wendy Suzuki, (Youtube) *I didn’t watch it yet, but Diary of a CEO tends to have good interviews.

“@neokohen42073, 2 months ago (edited)

Here are some of my key takeaways;

1. Stay Social (Spend time with family and friends)

2. Exercise Regularly (this one is the most important one. Move your body daily with activities you enjoy)

3. Cold Showers (give yourself an adrenaline boost and potentially improve your overall well-being)

4. Practice Mindfulness (Meditate, do yoga, or practice deep breathing)

5. Keep Learning (Read, or learn new skills, keep your mind active, engage in Cognitive Activities)

6. Eat Well (Mediterranean Diet is healthy, Eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats like Olive oil)

7. Sleep Enough (Aim for 7-9 hours of good sleep every night, clears out toxins and garbage stuff in the brain)

Edit : Hey folks, I know some of you might think you've heard this all before, but I highly recommend watching the whole video. (Youtube) Dr. Wendy offers great research, examples, and insights into why we should follow these health tips. For instance, we all know smoking is bad, but understanding the reasons behind it can make a big difference. When you learn why certain habits are beneficial and see the evidence, it helps you follow this advice more consciously. I hope my takeaways from the video provide you with useful insights, but I 'STRONGLY' suggest watching the entire video to fully understand the importance and depth of her insights on brain health and how to keep it healthy through proper diet, exercise, and sleep. Stay healthy!”

More information follows regarding BDNF promotion, peripheral signaling and butyrate producing microbiome species, however, it is not sharing “how-to’s”.

Nutshell → resistant starch, zinc & pom peel can help support butyrate/SCFA producing species. See jenniferdepew.com.

& a Spoiler, the conclusion is - take care of your gut microbiome & the especially the butyrate species because they help protect your hippocampal cell growth. And, bonus, exercise helps both BDNF production and the butyrate producing species.

Signaling from peripheral tissues is involved in stimulating production of BDNF in the brain (Abstract excerpt below) and that means vagal nerve signaling from the gastrointestinal enteric nervous system is involved; or autocrine signaling may also occur from chemicals produced by the nerve cell or microglial brain cell, (Zhang, et al., 2014); or from chemicals within the blood which are able to cross the blood brain barrier. “Recently, we found that intraperitoneal application of the chemokine CX3CL1 promotes BDNF expression and adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus through the vagus nerve [18].” See Fulltext article for more detail: (Amagase, et al., 2023). (Video describing types of cell signaling)

“The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an extensively studied neurotrophin essential for both developing the brain and maintaining adult brain function.

»> In the adult hippocampus, BDNF is critical for maintaining adult neurogenesis. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is involved not only in memory formation and learning ability, but also mood regulation and stress responses.

»> Accordingly, decreased levels of BDNF, accompanied by low levels of adult neurogenesis, occurs in brains of older adults with impaired cognitive function and in those of patients with major depression disorder.

Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms that maintain hippocampal BDNF levels is biologically and clinically important.

»> It has been revealed that signalling from peripheral tissues contribute to the regulation of BDNF expression in the brain across the blood–brain barrier.” (Amagase, et al., 2023)

Interesting

“In a study conducted by Zheng et al., a significant difference in the gut microbiota were observed between participant with depression and controls, with notable differences linked with the Bacteroidaceae family in the depression group (Zheng et al., 2020, Zheng et al., 2020). A vast number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been performed to evaluate the gut microbiota dysbiosis in depressed individuals. In a meta-analysis, the abundance of Corprococcus and Faecalibacterium was lower in depressed patients than the controls. Furthermore, these patient showed improved depressive symptoms after probiotics administration (Sanada et al., 2020). Another meta-analysis on depressed patient found that any disruption in gut microbiota diversity was related with a trans-diagnostic process with an increase in several pro-inflammatory bacteria and a drop in anti-inflammatory bacteria with the ability to produce butyrate (Nikolova et al., 2021).” (Matin and Dadkhah, 2024)

There is less BDNF-TrKB binding occurring during depression than during normal levels of depression and anxiety. With butyrate producing gut microbiome species, more BDNF is present in the brain and the blood brain barrier function is better. This is interesting 🤔 because butyrate performs similar functions as niacin as an agonist of the GP109 receptor.

So, butyrate is likely also promoting more BDNF production via microRNA effects. Speculation based on the recent post about BDNF and niacin.

(Matin and Dadkhah, 2024)

Known Butyrate producing microbiome species

“FIGURE 1. All butyrate producing bacteria in different clostridial clusters.” (Parichehr, et al., 2022)

**I’m saving the following as it was interesting, but I didn’t look closer to factcheck.

‘Butyrate producing gut microbiome species and BDNF modulation pubmed’

Based on the search results, the following key findings are highlighted:

• Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Eubacterium rectale, recognized butyrate-producing species in the human gut, were reduced in individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) [1]. Deficient butyrate-producing capacity in the gut microbiome is associated with bacterial network disturbances and fatigue symptoms in ME/CFS - PubMed

• Butyrate has been shown to protect the brain and enhance plasticity in neurological disease models, suggesting a potential role in modulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels [2]. Butyrate, neuroepigenetics and the gut microbiome: Can a high fiber diet improve brain health? - ScienceDirect

• Supplementation with butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), can raise BDNF levels by inhibiting histone deacetylase and maintaining chromatin relaxation in the hippocampus [3]. Modulating Gut Microbe Populations to Generate More Butyrate, thus Raising BDNF Levels and Improving Cognitive Function – Fight Aging!

• Additionally, butyrate may also inhibit the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which can interfere with BDNF expression.

These findings collectively suggest that butyrate-producing gut microbiome species, particularly Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Eubacterium rectale, may play a role in modulating BDNF levels through the production of butyrate. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the mechanisms underlying this relationship.

What specific gut bacterial strains are most closely linked to BDNF regulation and expression?

Based on the provided search results, the following gut bacterial strains are mentioned as being linked to BDNF regulation and expression:

• Lactobacillus strain: Ingestion of a specific Lactobacillus strain regulates emotional behavior and central GABA receptor expression in mice via the vagus nerve (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108, 16050–16055, 2011).

• [* These are species that DIDN’T help BDNF levels. It was from a fecal transplant from aged rats into younger rats.] Prevotella, Bacteroides, and Parabacterioides: Fecal microbiota transplantation from aged rats into young rats altered the gut microbiota composition, with pronounced increases in these bacterial populations, which was associated with decreased hippocampal BDNF expression (IJMS).

While the search results do not provide a comprehensive list of specific gut bacterial strains linked to BDNF regulation and expression, these strains are mentioned as having a potential impact on hippocampal BDNF expression. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the specific strains and their mechanisms of action.

Context

1. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Probiotic modulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis and behaviour in zebrafish - PMC

2. www.sciencedirect.com, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor preserves intestinal mucosal barrier function and alters gut microbiota in mice - ScienceDirect

3. www.mdpi.com, IJMS | Free Full-Text | Peripheral (Amagase, et al., 2023)

Context for ‘Butyrate producing gut microbiome species and BDNF modulation pubmed’

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Deficient butyrate-producing capacity in the gut microbiome is associated with bacterial network disturbances and fatigue symptoms in ME/CFS - PubMed

2. www.sciencedirect.com, Butyrate, neuroepigenetics and the gut microbiome: Can a high fiber diet improve brain health? - ScienceDirect

3. www.fightaging.org, Modulating Gut Microbe Populations to Generate More Butyrate, thus Raising BDNF Levels and Improving Cognitive Function – Fight Aging!

4. www.frontiersin.org, Frontiers | Role of Butyrate, a Gu (Parichehr, et al., 2022)

Disclaimer: This information is being shared for educational purposes within the guideline of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health care guidance.

Reference List

Amagase Y, Kambayashi R, Sugiyama A, Takei Y. Peripheral Regulation of Central Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression through the Vagus Nerve. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24(4):3543. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043543 (Amagase, et al., 2023)

Clauss, M., Gérard, P., Mosca, A., Leclerc, M., Interplay Between Exercise and Gut Microbiome in the Context of Human Health and Performance, Frontiers in Nutrition, Vol 8, 2021, DOI=10.3389/fnut.2021.637010 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.637010 (Clauss, et al., 2021)

Ma, C., Ding, H., Deng, Y., Liu, H., Xiong, X., Yang, Y., Irisin: A New Code Uncover the Relationship of Skeletal Muscle and Cardiovascular Health During Exercise, Frontiers in Physiology, Vol 12, 2021, DOI=10.3389/fphys.2021.620608 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.620608 (Ma, et al., 2021)

Matin, S., Dadkhah, M., BDNF/CREB signaling pathway contribution in depression pathogenesis: A survey on the non-pharmacological therapeutic opportunities for gut microbiota dysbiosis, Brain Research Bulletin, Vol 207, 2024, 110882, ISSN 0361-9230, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.110882. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923024000157 (Matin and Dadkhah, 2024)

Parichehr, A., Ahmad, H.S., Samad, G., Helda, T., Shamsi, G., Erfan, M., Samira, A., Neda, R., Role of Butyrate, a Gut Microbiota Derived Metabolite, in Cardiovascular Diseases: A comprehensive narrative review, Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12, 2022, DOI=10.3389/fphar.2021.837509, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.837509 (Parichehr, et al., 2022)

Zhang X, Zeng L, Yu T, Xu Y, Pu S, Du D, Jiang W. Positive feedback loop of autocrine BDNF from microglia causes prolonged microglia activation. Cell Physiol Biochem. 2014;34(3):715-23. doi: 10.1159/000363036. Epub 2014 Aug 18. PMID: 25171395. https://karger.com/cpb/article/34/3/715/73067/Positive-Feedback-Loop-of-Autocrine-BDNF-from (Zhang, et al., 2014)