Adolescent social isolation decreases colonic goblet cells and impairs spatial cognition through the reduction of cystine.

ABSTRACT: Negative experiences during adolescence, such as social isolation (SI), bullying, and abuse, increase the risk of psychiatric diseases in adulthood. However, the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases induced by these factors remain poorly understood. In adolescents, stress affects the intestinal homeostasis in the gut-brain axis. This study determined whether adolescent SI induces behavioral abnormalities by disrupting colonic function. Adolescent mice exposed to SI exhibit spatial cognitive deficits and microglial activation in the hippocampus (HIP). SI decreased the differentiation of mucin-producing goblet cells, which was accompanied by alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota, particularly the depletion of mucin-feeding bacteria. Treatment with rebamipide, which promotes go

SUBMITTER: Tanabe M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12014494 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature