ArticlePloS one2014
Modulation of intestinal microbiota by the probiotic VSL#3 resets brain gene expression and ameliorates the age-related deficit in LTP.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 116 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
116 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 227 citations in OpenAlex.
- The microbiota-gut- hippocampus axis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Gut microbiota, cognitive frailty and dementia in older individuals: a systematic review.Clinical interventions in aging · 2018Pooled it
- The effects of probiotic supplements on oxidative stress and inflammation in subjects with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.Inflammopharmacology · 2024Trial
- Minocycline differentially modulates human spatial memory systems.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2020Trial
- Microbiome Integrity Protects Against Glial-Mediated Tau and Amyloid Pathology Through Circadian and Autophagy Homeostasis.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Obesity-Related Cognitive Impairment: An Update Overview of Mechanisms and Treatments.Expert reviews in molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Probiotics as Modulators of Adult Neurogenesis and Synaptic Plasticity: New Perspectives in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Affective Disorders.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Nutritional Management of Schizophrenia: Gut-Brain Axis Mechanisms and Dietary Interventions.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- Gerobiotics: Exploring the Potential and Limitations of Repurposing Probiotics in Addressing Aging Hallmarks and Chronic Diseases.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Robust Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity Despite Gut Microbiota Depletion in Adult Mice.The European journal of neuroscience · 2025Article
- Review
- Modulation of Gut Microbiota Using VSL#3 and Its Impact on Aortic Parameters in a Rat Model.Anatolian journal of cardiology · 2025Article
- Modulation of Intestinal Inflammation and Protection of Dopaminergic Neurons in Parkinson's Disease Mice through a Probiotic Formulation Targeting NLRP3 Inflammasome.Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology · 2025Article
- Gut microbiota-driven neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease: from mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Chronic administration of prebiotics and probiotics prevent pathophysiological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in the cortex of APP/PS1 mice.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Exploring the microbiota-gut-brain axis: impact on brain structure and function.Frontiers in neuroanatomy · 2025Review
- Exploring Gut Microbiota Imbalance in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Potential Therapeutic Effects of Probiotics and Their Metabolites.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Dysfunction of the Murine Liver with Aging and Its Improvement with the Continuous Consumption ofNutrients · 2024Article
- Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis Dysregulation in Alzheimer's Disease: Multi-Pathway Effects and Therapeutic Potential.Aging and disease · 2024Review
- Adult neurogenesis and the microbiota-gut-brain axis in farm animals: underestimated and understudied parameters for improving welfare in livestock farming.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
56 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The intestinal microbiota is increasingly recognized as a complex signaling network that impacts on many systems beyond the enteric system modulating, among others, cognitive functions including learning, memory and decision-making processes. This has led to the concept of a microbiota-driven gut-brain axis, reflecting a bidirectional interaction between the central nervous system and the intestine. A deficit in synaptic plasticity is one of the many changes that occurs with age. Specifically, the archetypal model of plasticity, long-term potentiation (LTP), is reduced in hippocampus of middle-aged and aged rats. Because the intestinal microbiota might change with age, we have investigated whether the age-related deficit in LTP might be attenuated by changing the composition of intestinal microbiota with VSL#3, a probiotic mixture comprising 8 Gram-positive bacterial strains. Here, we report that treatment of aged rats with VSL#3 induced a robust change in the composition of intestinal microbiota with an increase in the abundance of Actinobacteria and Bacterioidetes, which was reduced in control-treated aged rats. VSL#3 administration modulated the expression of a large group of genes in brain tissue as assessed by whole gene expression, with evidence of a change in genes that impact on inflammatory and neuronal plasticity processes. The age-related deficit in LTP was attenuated in VSL#3-treated aged rats and this was accompanied by a modest decrease in markers of microglial activation and an increase in expression of BDNF and synapsin. The data support the notion that intestinal microbiota can be manipulated to positively impact on neuronal function.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.