Marija Litviņenko
Riga Stradiņš University, Latvia
Title: Cognition and microbiota: perspectives on possible interaction
Biography
Biography: Marija Litviņenko
Abstract
Cognitive function is a process that makes every human a different person. It is also a privilege which dementia may take from us. With the development of neuroscience, we have learned that cognition not only depends on isolated functioning of brain but consists of many different interactions in human body. Onset of cognitive impairment, a condition associated with further development of dementia, has many risk factors such as depression, cardiovascular risk factors, malnutrition and many others. One of the latest highlights is a connection between gut microbiota, a term used to describe all microorganisms living in human intestines, and brain functioning. It has been proven that, alterations in gut microbiota structure are connected with presence of other disorders, for example psychoneurological or gastrointestinal. Data from recent studies suggests that, it can be involved in pathophysiology of cognitive impairment through variable pathways including production of neuroactive substances, modulation of vagal activity and other. However there is lack of human studies temporarily limiting any clinical usage of this information. Nevertheless existence of gut-brain axis and role of intestinal microbiota has great potential for future investigations and development of novel therapeutic strategies for people with neurodegenerative disorders