Connecting the Dots: The Interplay Between Stroke and the Gut-Brain Axis

Abstract

This article discusses the interplay between the gut-brain axis and stroke, a multifaceted neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication network linking the central nervous system (CNS) to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), including the enteric nervous system (ENS), vagus nerve, and gut microbiota. Dysbiosis in the gut microbiota, alterations in the ENS and vagus nerve, and gut motility changes have been linked to increased inflammation and oxidative stress, which are contributing factors in the development and progression of stroke. Research on animals has shown that modifying the gut microbiota can impact the results of a stroke. Germ-free mice displayed improved neurological function and decreased infarct volumes, indicating a positive effect. Furthermore, studies in stroke patients have shown alterations in the gut microbiota composition, indicating that targeting dysbiosis could be a potential therapeutic strategy for stroke. The review suggests that targeting the gut-brain axis may represent a potential therapeutic approach to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with stroke.

Gut Dysbiosis: A New Avenue for Stroke Prevention and Therapeutics

“…In the meantime, production of cytokines and DAMPs in addition to stimulation of the vagus nerve, which acts as the primary communication pathway between the central nervous system (CNS) and enteric nervous system (ENS), lead to increase in intestinal permeability, gut dysbiosis, and gut dysmotility, resulting in bacterial translocation in intestine and migration of gut immune cells and inflammatory cells into the injury sites of stroke through circulating blood flow. Yet, the exact molecular landscape which underlies the alterations in the brain–gut axis is in its infancy [ 46 , 47 ].…”