A new study suggests that there is a brain microbiota because bacteria have been observed in healthy human brains.
Normally, the brain is protected by the blood-brain barrier, which must prevent the entry of dangerous bacteria and viruses. But a laboratory at the University of Alabama in Birmingham suggests a much more direct relationship between microbiota bacteria and the brain.
This study describes microscopic images with bacteria present in human brains.
For now, these are just preliminary results. In addition, the bacteria have been observed in the brains of corpses, it will be necessary to verify that they did not come from contaminations.
Where did these bacteria come from? To find out, scientists have studied mouse brains with or without gut microbiota: mouse brains without microbiota did not have bacteria, while “normal” mice had some.
This discovery, if confirmed, should revolutionize our knowledge of the brain and the microbiome.
