MHRC Research Seminar: Exploring the Connections of Gut Inflammation to Brain and Mental Health

Enjoy free admission, all are welcome.

* Seats are limited and will be allocated on a 'first in, first served' basis.
* Online link will be provided if the seats are full.
* Please note that NO Physiotherapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) CPD points will be offered by the research seminar.

Topic:
Exploring the Connections of Gut Inflammation to Brain and Mental Health

Abstract:
In this seminar, the two speakers will share their collaborative attempts to characterize the relevance of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to brain and mental health from the biological perspective. IBD refers to a group of autoimmune diseases with persistent inflammation due to the breakdown of immune tolerance and associated dysbiosis in the gut. IBD includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, affecting over 1% of the population. Besides gastrointestinal dysfunction and symptoms, IBD also increases the risks of mental disturbances such as anxiety and depression. There are biological grounds to suspect that IBD can directly affect brain function and mental health via the gut-brain axis and systemic inflammation. Here, the speakers reported the consequences of the dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis on the brain of laboratory mice and the behaviour of their offspring.

• Dr William Tai showed that induction of chronic colitis pathology led to the extensive upregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators, detectable not only in the colons and the blood but also in the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) became compromised and leaky, exposing the brain to further neuroinflammation. Evidence for brain damage following IBD induction included the atrophy and cell loss in the hippocampus. DSS-induced colitis also led to the loss of the beneficial microbe, Lactobacillus spp. of the bacterial phylum Firmicutes, and the resulting gut microbiota imbalance could be a significant mediator of the subsequent pathology and neuroinflammation in the brain. In keeping with his speculation, Dr Tai further demonstrated that postbiotics treatment targeting the underlying gut dysbiosis could alleviate the neuronal and immune insults to the brain caused by IBD, with concomitant improvement in intestinal histopathology and local/systemic inflammation.

• Dr Benjamin Yee investigated the impact of DSS-induced colitis during pregnancy on brain development and subsequent risk of behavioural disturbance in the resulting offspring. He showed that transient colitis pathology induced during mid-gestation in pregnant mouse dams was sufficient to cause significant memory impairments, a delayed deficit in sensorimotor gating, and an imbalance in neuronal excitation upon pharmacological challenge. While these findings extended the link between maternal gestational inflammation and mental health risk in the offspring, the behavioural profiles of the offspring born to IBD dams also revealed critical differences from that resulting from previous models of gestational infection—pointing to the need for further dissection. The model may provide a preclinical platform to evaluate the potential transgenerational benefits of probiotics use during pregnancy. 
  The interdisciplinary work-in-progress offers new dimensions in defining the potential impact of IBD on brain and mental health, presents new opportunities for prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics in managing a common risk factor of mental health, and informs people with IBD, including expectant mothers, to be aware of their gut feelings. 

Speakers:
Prof. Benjamin YEE
Associate Director of MHRC
Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Dr William TAI
Assistant Professor
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University