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Compositional and functional gut microbiota alterations in mild cognitive impairment: links to Alzheimer's disease pathology
Kang-Chen Fan, Chen-Ching Lin, Yen-Ling Chiu, Seong-Ho Koh, Yi-Chien Liu, Yi-Fang Chuang. Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2025-05-30
Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet
We identified 59 key microbial species linked to MCI and AD biomarkers. Notably, species within the same genera, such as Bacteroides and Ruminococcus, showed opposing effects, while Akkermansia muciniphila correlated with reduced amyloid burden, suggesting a protective role. Functional profiling revealed microbial pathways contributing to energy metabolism and neuroinflammation, mediating the relationship between gut microbes and brain health. Co-occurrence network analyses demonstrated complex microbial interactions, indicating that the collective influence of gut microbiota on neurodegeneration. Our findings challenge genus-level microbiome analyses, revealing species-specific modulators of AD pathology. This study highlights gut microbial activity as a potential therapeutic target to mitigate cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.
Key findings
- We identified 59 key microbial species linked to MCI and AD biomarkers.
- Notably, species within the same genera, such as Bacteroides and Ruminococcus, showed opposing effects, while Akkermansia muciniphila correlated with reduced amyloid burden, suggesting a protective role.
- Functional profiling revealed microbial pathways contributing to energy metabolism and neuroinflammation, mediating the relationship between gut microbes and brain health.
- Co-occurrence network analyses demonstrated complex microbial interactions, indicating that the collective influence of gut microbiota on neurodegeneration.
- Our findings challenge genus-level microbiome analyses, revealing species-specific modulators of AD pathology.
Study details
- Participants119
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 55/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 31 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 55 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer's research & therapy) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 119 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40448221) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 31 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 31 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 55 out of 100. |
| Total | 55 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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APA 7th
Fan, K.-C., Lin, C.-C., Chiu, Y.-L., Koh, S.-H., Liu, Y.-C., & Chuang, Y.-F. (2025). Compositional and functional gut microbiota alterations in mild cognitive impairment: links to Alzheimer's disease pathology. Alzheimer's research & therapy. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-025-01769-9
Vancouver
Fan K.-C, Lin C.-C, Chiu Y.-L, Koh S.-H, Liu Y.-C, Chuang Y.-F. Compositional and functional gut microbiota alterations in mild cognitive impairment: links to Alzheimer's disease pathology. Alzheimer's research & therapy. 2025. doi:10.1186/s13195-025-01769-9. PMID: 40448221.
BibTeX
@article{fan2025-40448221,
author = {Fan, Kang-Chen and Lin, Chen-Ching and Chiu, Yen-Ling and Koh, Seong-Ho and Liu, Yi-Chien and Chuang, Yi-Fang},
title = {{Compositional and functional gut microbiota alterations in mild cognitive impairment: links to Alzheimer's disease pathology}},
journal = {Alzheimer's research \& therapy},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1186/s13195-025-01769-9},
pmid = {40448221},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-025-01769-9}
}
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