The influence of the brain on intestinal bacteria

Marc Claret Carles

Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Spain

Obesity is a public health problem for which there is no effective treatment. In the search for new therapies it is essential to better understand the mechanisms underlying this epidemic.

In recent years, research has focused on the role played in the development of obesity and diabetes by bacteria living in the intestines, the microbiota. Their influence on the regulation of appetite and metabolism has received significant attention. On the other hand, the influence of the brain on the microbiota has not.

The project focuses on understanding the influence of the brain on the bacterial composition of the intestine. In particular, the modulating effects of the hypothalamus, a region that contributes to the control of the energy balance, on the composition of the microbiota and intestinal function.

• Patrice D Cani, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium

• Rubén Nogueiras Pozo, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Hypothalamic control of gut function and microbiota composition: implications for energy balance regulation

€972,183