Gut Microbiota-Brain Axis in Healthy Ageing

The gut microbiomeGut microbiome has been shown to be intricately linked with almost all aspects of our health and physiology. Understanding the mechanistic details of these links is key to utilising the gut microbiomeGut microbiome as a diagnostic marker and therapeutic target. In this context, an intriguing aspect is to understand how the gut microbiomeGut microbiome mechanistically influences/modulates systemic processes with ageingAgeing, specifically influencing the functioning of organs that are remote to the gut. An associated crucial area of research pertains to the gut-brain axis with respect to age and how these alterations potentially influence a variety of ageingAgeing-associated neurological disordersNeurological disorders. Recent research has established causative mechanistic links between the production of specific gut microbiomeGut microbiome-derived metabolites and the onset or delay of specific disorders. However, our knowledge is still limited, and a comprehensive catalogue of the putative mechanistic microbiome-metabolite network-host-pathway links is unavailable. This chapter summarizes the bidirectional molecular/mechanistic links of how our gut microbiomeGut microbiome modulates our brain healthBrain health during ageingAgeing and vice-versa, eventually modulating our susceptibility to age-associated decline in cognitive health. Understanding these links clarify our understanding of the gut-brain axis and can potentially be utilized to devise personalised therapeutics on gut health for healthy mental ageingAgeing.