The microbiota promotes social behavior by modulating microglial remodeling of forebrain neurons.

ABSTRACT: Host-associated microbiotas guide the trajectory of developmental programs, and altered microbiota composition is linked to neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder. Recent work suggests that microbiotas modulate behavioral phenotypes associated with these disorders. We discovered that the zebrafish microbiota is required for normal social behavior and reveal a molecular pathway linking the microbiota, microglial remodeling of neural circuits, and social behavior in this experimentally tractable model vertebrate. Examining neuronal correlates of behavior, we found that the microbiota restrains neurite complexity and targeting of forebrain neurons required for normal social behavior and is necessary for localization of forebrain microglia, brain-resident phagocytes tha

SUBMITTER: Bruckner JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9624426 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature