I have been keeping an eye out for articles related to how microbes influence our bodies. As a traveler, I know all too well how microbes can mess them up (usually with the pooping) so it's really fascinating to learn more about how they affect us in positive, and subtle ways. I've read a few articles on how antibiotics have negatively affected the microbial populations in the American gut and the rise of allergies and other things that may be related to microbes, but in light of this article, do you think that there might be a possible link between microbes and how American students learn?
In the article, it mentions that the different microbes affect the level of brain derived neurotrophic factor (usually known simply as BDNF in the bizz). BDNF is well known to promote learning and memory, as well as brain plasticity (the brain's ability to change, adapt and recover from injury). So while this is speculative, I would imagine it's not a great leap to suggest that microbial content could on some level influence how well students learn.I've read a few articles on how antibiotics have negatively affected the microbial populations in the American gut and the rise of allergies and other things that may be related to microbes, but in light of this article, do you think that there might be a possible link between microbes and how American students learn?
Cool. I see more and more foods with pro-biotic labels on them, but I wonder about these claims and what kinds of standards or guidelines they are using. I also wonder if people will go as overboard with pro-biotic stuff as they have with antibiotics.
Not sure how, if at all, it's related, but another interesting caveat here is that the gut is surrounded by neurons and produces large amounts of serotonin. One can imagine that if the microbes are altering the GI chemistry to a great degree that this system will also be effected. Here is an article on the topic.
I'm by no means an expert on the topic. I have a colleague who used to work on brain-gut interaction. His studies were all in mice, so I know that it's not unique to humans, but how different humans are from other animals isn't something I know anything about, sadly. I've been reading a lot recently about how the immune system affects the brain, which is also a complicated, but fascinating topic. All these things just go to show how much of a whole we are. I know I preach this all the time, and it might be getting stale, but don't ever believe the hype when anyone says that your brain thinks X, Y or Z. A person is so much more than circuits.
The idea what we are a deeply integrated whole is absolutely interesting. I'd imagine that this kind of thing is something that makes creating artificial organs such a difficult task. I'm not sure I've ever really believed that the brain was all there is to thought, or even that thoughts are the only things guiding human behaviors. There certainly seems to be a lot more to understand about the human body and I'd bet, how it can best operate.