Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
5-15-2022
Year of Publication
2022
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Medicine
Department/School/Program
Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
Advisor
Dr. Ai-Ling Lin
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia with various risk factors including age, environmental factors such as brain injury and genetic factors, such as the E4 allele of the Apolipoprotein gene. Presence of the APOE4 allele increases AD risk by two- to four- fold. Recent studies have shown that mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), even without loss of consciousness, increases risk of dementia diagnosis by more than two-fold in military personnel and is also a significant environmental risk factor for developing dementia in the general population. The gut-brain axis (GBA) or bi-directional communication between the brain and gut microbiome, has been a topic of investigation in mitigating symptoms after mTBI and throughout AD development. The gut microbiome can be modulated to improve one’s overall health. One way to manipulate the composition of the gut microbiome is by the ingestion of prebiotics, non-digestible carbohydrates that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. The prebiotic that will be employed in these studies is inulin, which is found in chicory root and other vegetables, such as broccoli. The literature suggests that manipulation of the gut microbiome may be actionable to reduce symptoms after mTBI and decrease risk for dementia. We will test the hypothesis that modulating the gut microbiome with prebiotic inulin will reduce symptoms of mTBI and will decrease risk of AD-like symptoms in animal models.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2022.149
Funding Information
This study was supported by
National Institute on Aging (no.: ROIAG054459, RF1AG062480) from 2018-2021
and
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (no.: T32DK0077788) from 2018-2020
Recommended Citation
Yanckello, Lucille M., "EFFICACY OF PREBIOTIC DIETARY INTERVENTION TO MITIGATE RISKS FOR DEMENTIA VIA THE GUT-BRAIN AXIS" (2022). Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences. 42.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/pharmacol_etds/42
