Clostridioides difficile Infection Dysregulates Brain Dopamine Metabolism
Akhil A. Vinithakumari, Piyush Padhi, Belén Hernández, Susanne Je-Han Lin, Aaron Dunkerson-Kurzhumov, Lucas Showman, Matthew W. Breitzman, Caroline Stokes, Yousuf Sulaiman, Chandra S. Tangudu, Deepa Kuttappan, Muhammed Shafeekh Muyyarikkandy, Auriel A. Willette, Gregory J. Phillips, Vellareddy Anantharam, Ann Perera, Brett A. Sponseller, Anumantha G. Kanthasamy, Shankumar Mooyottu
Abstract
The gut-brain axis is thought to play a significant role in the development and manifestation of neurologic diseases. This study reports significant alterations in the brain dopamine metabolism in mice infected with C. difficile, an important pathogen that overgrows in the gut after prolonged antibiotic therapy. Such alterations in specific brain regions may have an effect on the precipitation or manifestation of neurodevelopmental disorders in humans.