It’s been a little while since we’ve had a new episode of The Microbiome Podcast but we are back after a summer hiatus. On this week’s episode we spoke with Dr. John Cryan from University College Cork in Ireland. Dr. Cryan is a world leader in the study of the communication between the gut and the brain and how the microbiome may influence this pathway. We will be back with a new episode in a few weeks so if you have any questions or requests, please either email us at info@microbiomeinstitute.org or call us at 518-945-8583 and leave a voicemail.
On this week’s episode we discussed:
- (1:06) Our visit to the White House and the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s microbiome initiative.
- (3:30) A paper describing the “microbial cloud” that individuals emit. Read the paper.
- (6:18) A C. diff treatment that ReBiotix received breakthrough designation from the FDA. Read more.
- (9:04) We were joined by Dr. John Cryan.
- (9:20) What is the gut-brain axis?
- (12:00) The importance of the gut-brain axis during early stages of life.
- (13:35) Studies in humans that show how the microbiome may influence brain function. A study from Mike Baley's group on temperament during early childhood.
- (15:20) Psychobiotics.
- (22:45) The gut-brain axis in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. A study from Denmark that showed if a person had their vagal nerve removed halved their chances of getting Parkinson’s disease.
- (27:40) Microbiome mediating hunger and a specific hormone called ghrelin.
- (32:40) Research in the Cryan Lab. Read more.
- (37:05) The APC Microbiome Institute at University College Cork. Learn more.
- (41:00) On the aftershow, we discussed our opinions of iPhones and Apple products.