MSGID: 1:317/3 63fed4e7   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Researchers identify three intestinal bacteria found in dementia with   
   Lewy bodies    
      
     Date:   
         February 28, 2023   
     Source:   
         Nagoya University   
     Summary:   
         Researchers have identified gut bacteria that are associated with   
         dementia with Lewy bodies. Changing the levels of three bacteria,   
         Collinsella, Ruminococcus, and Bifidobacterium, may delay the   
         onset and progression of this neurodegenerative disease.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), one of the most common forms of   
   dementia, has no cure. Previous studies suggested that gut bacteria,   
   the microorganisms that live in the human digestive tract, play a role   
   in Parkinson's disease, another neurodegenerative disorder, but the   
   bacteria involved in DLB had not been identified. Now, a group led   
   by researchers at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine   
   in Japan has identified three bacteria involved in DLB: Collinsella,   
   Ruminococcus,and Bifidobacterium. Their findings, reported in npj   
   Parkinson's Disease, suggest new avenues for diagnosis and treatment.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   The onset of DLB is associated with abnormal deposits of alpha-synuclein,   
   a protein in the brain that plays a role in the transmission of signals   
   between neurons. The presence of these deposits, known as 'Lewy bodies',   
   affects chemicals in the brain, leading to declines in thinking, reasoning   
   and memory.   
      
   Symptoms include confusion, memory loss, impaired movement, and visual   
   hallucinations.   
      
   Parkinson's disease also starts with movement problems, but some patients   
   develop cognitive decline within one year. These patients are diagnosed   
   with DLB when this cognitive decline occurs. Physicians find it difficult   
   to predict which people with Parkinson's disease will develop cognitive   
   decline within a year and become patients with DLB.   
      
   A research group led by Associate Professor Masaaki Hirayama (Omics   
   Medicine), Professor Kinji Ohno (Neurogenetics), and Assistant Professor   
   Hiroshi Nishiwaki (Neurogenetics) of Nagoya University Graduate School   
   of Medicine, in collaboration with Okayama Neurology Clinic, Iwate   
   Medical University, and Fukuoka University, analyzed microorganisms in   
   the gut and fecal bile acids of patients with DLB, Parkinson's disease,   
   and rapid eye movement behavior disorder. They discovered that three   
   intestinal bacteria, Collinsella, Ruminococcus,and Bifidobacterium,   
   were associated with patients with DLB. This may suggest possible ways   
   of diagnosing and treating this neurodegenerative disease.   
      
   The researchers also found similarities between the gut bacteria   
   involved in Parkinson's disease and DLB. In both diseases, the bacteria   
   Akkermansia, which degrades the intestinal mucosa, increased. On the   
   other hand, the bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA)   
   in the gut decreased. "Decreases in SCFA-producing bacteria have been   
   repeatedly reported in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and   
   ALS," explains Ohno. "This suggests that it is a common feature of   
   neurodegenerative diseases." SCFA are important because they produce   
   regulatory T cells. These types of cells play a critical role in   
   regulating the immune system by suppressing neuroinflammation.   
      
   On the other hand, in patients with DLB, the researchers found an increase   
   in Ruminococcus torques, an increase in Collinsella, and a decrease in   
   Bifidobacterium. This was different from Parkinson's disease patients,   
   whose levels did not change. In the future using these insights, doctors   
   may be able to analyze the bacteria in a person's digestive tract to   
   distinguish DLB from Parkinson's disease.   
      
   Importantly, the reduced levels of Bifidobacteriummayalsosuggest   
   possible ways to treat DLB. Bifidobacterium increases brain-derived   
   neurotrophic factor, a key protein that supports the growth, development   
   and maintenance of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous   
   systems. Therefore, its decrease in DLB is likely to be associated with   
   cognitive decline.   
      
   Similarly, both Ruminococcus torquesand Collinsellaare intestinal bacteria   
   that carry an enzyme, the product of which regulates inflammation   
   in a region of the brain called the substantia nigra.The substantia   
   nigra produces dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is involved in the   
   regulation of movement and is deficient in Parkinson's disease. Compared   
   to Parkinson's disease, the levels of these bacteria were higher in   
   people with DLB. This may explain why the effect on movement is delayed,   
   a key feature that distinguishes DLB from Parkinson's disease.   
      
   "Our findings can be used both for both diagnosis and treatment," explains   
   Ohno. "If a patient with Parkinson's disease develops dementia in one year   
   after the onset of motor symptoms, they are diagnosed with DLB. However,   
   we cannot currently predict whether a patient with Parkinson's   
   disease will become a DLB patient. The gut microbiome will help to   
   identify such patients."  "In terms of treatment, the administration   
   of Ruminococcus torques and Collinsellain patients with Parkinson's   
   is expected to delay neuroinflammation in the substantia nigra," Ohno   
   added. "Therapeutic intervention to increase Bifidobacteriummay delay   
   the onset and progression of DLB and reduce cognitive dysfunction."   
   "The presence of intestinal bacteria unique to DLB may explain why some   
   patients develop Parkinson's disease and others develop DLB first,"   
   Ohno said.   
      
   "Normalizing the abnormal bacteria shared between DLB and Parkinson's   
   disease may delay the development of both diseases. Improving the   
   gut microbiota is a stepping stone in the treatment of dementia. Our   
   findings may pave the way for the discovery of new and completely   
   different therapeutics."   
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Parkinson's_Research # Diseases_and_Conditions #   
                   Alzheimer's_Research   
             o Mind_&_Brain   
                   # Parkinson's # Disorders_and_Syndromes # Caregiving   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Bacteria # Veterinary_Medicine # Extreme_Survival   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Dementia_with_Lewy_bodies o Alzheimer's_disease o   
             Bacteria o Delayed_puberty o Multi-infarct_dementia   
             o Rocky_Mountain_spotted_fever o Body_odor o   
             Bovine_spongiform_encephalopathy   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by Nagoya_University. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Hiroshi Nishiwaki, Jun Ueyama, Kenichi Kashihara, Mikako Ito,   
      Tomonari   
         Hamaguchi, Tetsuya Maeda, Yoshio Tsuboi, Masahisa Katsuno,   
         Masaaki Hirayama, Kinji Ohno. Gut microbiota in dementia   
         with Lewy bodies. npj Parkinson's Disease, 2022; 8 (1) DOI:   
         10.1038/s41531-022-00428-2   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230228205244.htm   
      
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