Abstract
The gut microbiota can exert potent influences on cognition, including affecting mood, anxiety and memory, but our understanding of how this is brought about is poor. The strongest available evidence suggests that this communication is mediated by gut microbe-derived metabolites, produced by microbial processing of dietary components, but mechanistic understanding of this is lacking. In this project we will investigate these interactions combining sensitive behavioural assays with cellular and molecular analyses to depict how key microbial metabolites affect cognition and thereby establish how dietary modification could impact on cognitive function and mental health.
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