How gut microbes affect brain healing after traumatic brain injury
Trauma, the gut, and the brain: the gut microbiota-microglia axis in traumatic brain injury
Exploring whether changing gut bacteria or giving short-chain fatty acids can help people recover thinking and mood after a traumatic brain injury.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11160638 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI), researchers will look at how your gut bacteria and the small molecules they make influence immune cells in the brain called microglia. The team will compare gut microbial communities, measure short-chain fatty acids like acetate, butyrate, and propionate, and examine signs of brain inflammation and behavior. They will test whether giving these fatty acids or altering the gut microbiome reduces brain inflammation and improves cognitive or psychiatric outcomes. Work will combine laboratory experiments and samples relevant to human TBI to find links that could guide new treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who have experienced a traumatic brain injury, including those with ongoing cognitive or psychiatric symptoms, would be the most likely candidates.
Not a fit: People without a history of TBI or whose problems are driven by causes unrelated to gut-microglia inflammation may not benefit from this line of work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to new microbiome-based or dietary therapies that reduce brain inflammation and improve thinking and mood after TBI.
How similar studies have performed: Animal and preclinical work from the investigators' lab and others showed improved outcomes with short-chain fatty acid supplementation, but effectiveness in people remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Northwestern University — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schwulst, Steven J — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Schwulst, Steven J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.