High-Fat Diet–Induced Dysbiosis as a Cause of Neuroinflammation

In their outstanding article, Bruce-Keller et al. ( 1 Bruce-Keller A.J. Salbaum J.M. Luo M. Blanchard E. Taylor C.M. Welsh D.A. et al. Obese-type gut microbiota induce neurobehavioral changes in the absence of obesity. Biol Psychiatry. 2015; 77: 607-615 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (357) Google Scholar ) demonstrated for the first time that gut microbiota altered by a high-fat (HF) diet decrease memory and increase anxiety and stereotypical behaviors in mice in the absence of obesity. Obesity and related metabolic comorbidities are characterized by a low-grade chronic inflammatory state accompanied by abnormal cytokine production ( 2 Gregor M.F. Hotamisligil G.S. Inflammatory mechanisms in obesity. Annu Rev Immunol. 2011; 29: 415-445 Crossref PubMed Scopus (2529) Google Scholar ). Gut microbiota dysbiosis may be implicated in the pathophysiology of these diseases through their impact on local and systemic inflammation ( 3 Cani P.D. Possemiers S. Van de Wiele T. Guiot Y. Everard A. Rottier O. et al. Changes in gut microbiota control inflammation in obese mice through a mechanism involving GLP-2-driven improvement of gut permeability. Gut. 2009; 58: 1091-1103 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1824) Google Scholar ). Obese-type Gut Microbiota Induce Neurobehavioral Changes in the Absence of ObesityBiological PsychiatryVol. 77Issue 7PreviewThe prevalence of mental illness, particularly depression and dementia, is increased by obesity. Here, we test the hypothesis that obesity-associated changes in gut microbiota are intrinsically able to impair neurocognitive behavior in mice. Full-Text PDF Reply to: High-Fat Diet–Induced Dysbiosis as a Cause of NeuroinflammationBiological PsychiatryVol. 80Issue 1PreviewIn their letter, Marques et al. (1) highlight similarities of their own research findings to data presented in our recent report entitled “Obese-type gut microbiota induce neurobehavioral changes in the absence of obesity” (2). Collectively, these data strongly implicate dysbiotic changes to the gut microbiome in mediating the neurologic sequelae of diet-induced obesity. This is an exciting time for microbiome research, as published data on the gut microbiome have increased exponentially in just the last few years. Full-Text PDF