In this article we find out that mice with a disrupted gut microbiota may be unable to shake off fearful memories – and that gut bacteria that is disrupted affects the memory and learning skills..David Artis at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and his colleagues studied the effect antibiotics have on the way mice learn and respond to fearful situations. They made mice fearful of this specific sound, as it delivered a small shock to their paws, making them scared when they heard the tone. If the shock was not in the scenario, they can learn to forget the fear, but since there is the shock, it is rather traumatizing. When they had added an antibiotic that clears their gut bacteria and microbes, they were able to forget the fear, and not respond to the specific tone that caused them distress before the antibiotic. Researchers found that with disrupted gut bacteria, had different gene switches on. The ones without the gut bacteria, had lower levels of four compounds related to schizophrenia and autism. Thus, the conclusion of this experiment is that if your gut bacteria is healthy, you are more likely to have a lower risk of developing certain defects, such as fear, schizophrenia, and autism.
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