Ask Dr. Nick
On today’s episode, Dr. Nick talks about the effect of the microbiome in brain injury severity and recovery. The gut microbiome is made up of many microorganisms that help the immune system fight pathogens, decrease inflammation, and promote proper digestion. When dysregulated, it can cause systemic inflammation along with neuroinflammation; therefore, if there is dysbiosis at the time of a head injury or stroke, this can lead to increased severity of the symptoms and longer recovery. At the same time, a traumatic brain injury and stroke can cause changes in the autonomic nervous system leading to gut and microbiome changes. If the gut and brain are not addressed together, recovery may be slower. Check out the video for more in depth information on how the microbiome affects brain injury and what you can do to help!
Krakovski MA, Arora N, Jain S, et al. Diet-microbiome-gut-brain nexus in acute and chronic brain injury. Front Neurosci. 2022;16:1002266.
