Exploring the Gut-Brain Connection: The Role of Microbiota in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and mechanistic framework without primary empirical data.
PubMed 41657477 · doi:10.12779/dnd.2026.25.1.1
What was done
This is a narrative review synthesizing current literature on the role of the microbiota-gut-brain and oral-gut axes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. The authors outline microbial mechanisms of neurodegeneration and propose a conceptual therapeutic model combining probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics (PPSP) to target oral and gastrointestinal dysbiosis.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data. It qualitatively summarizes that oral and gut microbes produce neurotransmitters (gamma-aminobutyric acid, noradrenaline, dopamine) and short-chain fatty acids influencing brain physiology, and that dysbiosis promotes barrier breakdown, systemic inflammation, neuroinflammation, amyloid-β plaque formation, and tau-related changes.
Why it matters
It expands the gut-brain framework to incorporate the oral microbiota and outlines a multi-component intervention model (PPSP) for future research into microbiota-targeted Alzheimer's management.
Limits
This is a narrative review that provides no new human data, clinical trial results, or quantitative synthesis. The proposed PPSP therapeutic model is theoretical and lacks empirical validation within the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Alzheimer's disease accounts for approximately 70% of all dementia cases.