O’Leary and Cryan Labs’ research featured on cover of leading international journal

7 Jul 2015

Research led by Dr. Olivia O’Leary is featured on the cover page of a leading international journal in psychiatry.

The cover of the August 2015 issue of Biological Psychiatry shows an image of neurons in the hippocampus area of the brain of mice that grow up without any microbiota (germ-free mice).  The research was conducted in the Dept. of Anatomy and Neuroscience and the APC Microbiome Institute in UCC. Dr. O’Leary, Prof. Cryan and colleagues demonstrated that the microbiota can influence the activity of resident neural stem cells an in area of the brain called the hippocampus.  The production of new neurons from these cells occurs throughout life through a process called adult hippocampal neurogenesis.  Since previous research by Dr. O’Leary and other scientists suggest that adult hippocampal neurogenesis is an important process that contributes to learning & memory, age-related cognitive decline, and the response to stress and antidepressant drugs, these findings suggest that all of these brain functions are likely affected by manipulating the microbiota, particularly during early life.    

 (Photo B.Riedewald)

Ogbonnaya ES, Clarke G, Shanahan F, Dinan TG, Cryan JF, O'Leary OF (2015) Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis Is Regulated by the Microbiome.  Biological Psychiatry http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.12.023