The trillions of microbes living in your gut could play a key role in supporting the formation of new nerve cells in the adult brain, with the potential to possibly prevent memory loss in old age and help to repair and renew nerve cells after injury, an international research team spanning Singapore, UK, Australia, Canada, US, and Sweden has discovered. Their research and discovery was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) on June 28, 2021.
There is increasing interest in our microbiomes and the connection between gut and brain health. This recent study is another intriguing piece of the puzzle highlighting the importance of lifestyle factors and diet. Importantly, it also points to new much-needed treatment opportunities for the diseases that cause dementia – now the leading cause of death in the UK and elsewhere. (For those interested to learn more the title of the study is 'Tryptophan-metabolizing gut microbes regulate adult neurogenesis via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor')
“This finding is exciting because it provides a mechanistic explanation of how gut-brain communication is translated into brain cell renewal, through gut microbe produced molecules stimulating the formation of new nerve cells in the adult brain.These findings bring us closer to the possibility of novel treatment options to slow down memory loss, which is a common problem with aging and neurodegenerative diseases including but not limited to Alzheimer’s disease” said Prof Sven Pettersson, Principal Investigator, National Neuroscience Institute of Singapore.
At SYMBYX we are especially interested in how light therapy (or photobiomodulation as it is sometimes called) of the gut and/or brain impacts serious health conditions like dementia. We believe light therapy will grow as a mainstream non-pharmaceutical replacement and/or an adjunct treatment for depression, brain fog and dementia over time.
Our SYMBYX Neuro helmet is designed to be worn on the head 5 times a week and emits a 24 minute cycle of red-light and infrared light therapy to stimulate cognition, alertness and circulation. It is used as a wellness device to
improve concentration, sleep quality, stress management, as well as been shown in clinical trials to support the improvements in symptoms of Parkinson's disease.