The brain has closely guarded secrets regarding its pathology, and much remains to be explored that could achieve unbelievable advances in disease management.
storyimage @123RF.COM“Star Trek” had it all wrong. The final frontier isn’t out there; it is between our ears, and the journey has been tortuous with many false starts. Now, questions that would have seemed absurd previously are being asked, but we must ask, and questioning must be the approach of the future.
Although our understanding of how brain microorganisms work is still limited, preliminary studies have shown that they may interact with brain cells, influencing processes as diverse as immune response, personality, and cognition. Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis (UCS), and obesity have been linked to changes in specific brain networks.
According to scientific speculation, bacteria may control brain inflammation and impact the development of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). It is also possible for microbes to amplify the effects of mental diseases like schizophrenia or OCD.
When antifungals, antivirals, or antibiotics were administered to patients with dementia diagnosed with various bacterial, fungal, or viral infections, the dementia disappeared. The possibility of a brain microbiome, similar to what is found in the gut, may be home to a population of bacteria. This is an area of entirely unexplored territory. It has enormous promise for saving lives.
The human brain is home to a diverse population of microbes, but the exact inhabitants remain a mystery. This ecosystem includes bacteria, viruses, fungus, and many more. Conventional wisdom held that the brain was completely free of microbes. New research has cast doubt on this long-held belief and provided evidence for the possibility of a complex and ever-changing microbiome in the brain.
Chasing the Wrong Hypothesis?
Researchers extensively studied both pathological and non-pathological human brain samples for microbial sequences. No one knows whether these findings are fictitious or reflect the actual microbial community in the brain. A compelling reason to find out the “ground truth” about the presence of bacteria in live brains is the alluring idea that these germs could contribute to the various neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders for which there are no known causes. One area that is especially important in a brain microbiome is Alzheimer’s Disease, where one hypothesis is still holding sway.
For example, according to the amyloid hypothesis, neurodegeneration and tau buildup are direct amyloid results. Randomized therapeutic trials targeting antitau and anti-amyloid have continuously failed to halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Some researchers believe that not exploring alternative hypotheses and seeking out the finite details of a brain microbiome is without justification.
Researchers will keep testing and submitting other medications for FDA regulatory approval until we reinstate a falsifiability requirement for all hypotheses. According to the agency's declared reasoning, no reasonable basis exists for rejecting supplementary clearances. The end consequence will be many individuals going through costly, dangerous treatments that do not work very well against cognitive loss and have many negative side effects. Research and recognition of the brain microbiome as well as its connection to the gut is mandatory if we are to seek out the true route of pathology of many diseases.
Presently, there is a need to return to acknowledging uncertainty in clinical research. Chasing the “shiniest bit of metal,” to paraphrase a common expression, is a waste of time and money and a loss of patients’ health possibilities. If anything, doubt plays a pivotal role in all research, and dismissing it is unconscionable.