Bacteria invade the brain following intracortical microelectrode implantation, inducing gut-brain axis disruption and contributing to reduced microelectrode performance.

ABSTRACT: Brain-machine interface performance can be affected by neuroinflammatory responses due to blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage following intracortical microelectrode implantation. Recent findings suggest that certain gut bacterial constituents might enter the brain through damaged BBB. Therefore, we hypothesized that damage to the BBB caused by microelectrode implantation could facilitate microbiome entry into the brain. In our study, we found bacterial sequences, including gut-related ones, in the brains of mice with implanted microelectrodes. These sequences changed over time. Mice treated with antibiotics showed a reduced presence of these bacteria and had a different inflammatory response, which temporarily improved microelectrode recording performance. However, long-term antibiotic use wo

SUBMITTER: Hoeferlin GF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11842729 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature