There is a lot of talk about the gut microbiome in neurology. This is important, because people with neurological diseases, including Alzheimer´s disease (AD), change their diets and think about probiotics when finding out about their diagnosis. Researchers study the gut microbiome by analyzing stool samples and then seeing if it is different in AD compared to healthy people. However, there is a major flaw in this research. The stool microbiome only tells us what is inside the colon, the “last part” of the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, the small intestines are much larger than the colon in size/area. The small intestines have a very different population of microbes. The small intestines also have much more immune cells (white blood cells) than the colon, and immune cells are very important for AD and brain health. Thus, the small intestinal microbiome has been largely ignored in AD.
In this project, we propose to study the small intestinal microbiome using a small capsule that can be ingested by mouth. The capsule then “traps” some of the contents of the small intestine and is then recovered in the stool. We can then study the contents of the small intestine and see how they are different from the stool. We can also test if they are different in people with AD, and if these differences explain worsening of disease and cognition. No one in the world has done this before in AD, so this project could change the way we look at the gut in AD. Currently, gut health is promoted in AD with vague recommendations on diet and supplements, all geared towards colon health. Our project could lead to the discovery of specific ways of changing small intestinal health, with potentially greater success.
