science
Young Mouse Gut Microbiota Restores Plasticity in Some Adult Mice After Eye Sealing
@NewScientist reported that fecal transplants from young mice enabled neuroplasticity in adult mice during an eye-sealing test. The work links gut microbiome changes to brain adaptability after antibiotic disruption in juveniles.
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Adult mice that received fecal microbiota transplants from younger donors showed restored neuroplasticity in response to temporary eye sealing, while those given adult microbiota did not, according to experiments described by @NewScientist. Researchers led by Paola Tognini at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies first administered high-dose broad-spectrum antibiotics in water daily for 10 days to 21-day-old mice.
These animals displayed altered gut microbiomes with reduced Lachnospiraceae levels compared with controls given plain water.
After one eye was sealed for three days, only the untreated mice exhibited increased neural responses to stimulation of the open eye. RNA sequencing identified more than 1,000 genes with altered expression in the antibiotic-treated group, including those tied to myelination and blood-brain barrier permeability.
In a separate arm, 4-month-old adult mice received transplants from approximately 30-day-old donors or from other adults.
Only recipients of the young microbiota demonstrated neuroplasticity after the same eye-sealing procedure. ” Parisa Gazerani of Oslo Metropolitan University, who was not involved, noted that the findings suggest microbial communities may help regulate critical periods of brain development. The study was posted on bioRxiv under DOI 10.64898/2026.06.08.730811.
