Home › Research › Disease mechanisms
The Gut-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease: Exploring Microbial Influences and Therapeutic Strategies
Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa, Nasir Vadia, Pooja Varma, Hasnaawei Al-Shaker, Biswaranjan Mohanty, Archana Dhyani, Irwanjot Kaur, Ashish Singh Chauhan et al.. Molecular neurobiology, 2025-11-24
Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet
Microbiota residing in the human gastrointestinal tract play a critical role in maintaining homeostasis through immune regulation, metabolic activity, and signaling to the central nervous system. Recent studies have highlighted the influence of gut microbiota on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. This bidirectional communication system involves neural, hormonal, and immunological pathways, linking gut health directly with brain function. Disruption of the gut microbial balance-known as dysbiosis-has been associated with increased amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition, tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and impaired neurotransmission, all of which are key pathological features of AD. Microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, trimethylamine N-oxide, and gasotransmitters influence the permeability of the blood-brain barrier and modulate neuroimmune responses. Emerging evidence also indicates that gut microbiota may contribute to the early onset and progression of AD through systemic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Modulating the gut microbiome, therefore, presents a novel avenue for therapeutic intervention. This review aims to synthesize current findings on how gut microbiota alterations contribute to AD pathology. Furthermore, it explores therapeutic strategies-including diet, probiotics, prebiotics, polyphenols, and fecal microbiota transplantation-that hold potential in restoring microbial balance and mitigating cognitive decline in AD.
Key findings
- Disruption of the gut microbial balance-known as dysbiosis-has been associated with increased amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition, tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and impaired neurotransmission, all of which are key pathological features of AD.
- Emerging evidence also indicates that gut microbiota may contribute to the early onset and progression of AD through systemic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people 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 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Molecular neurobiology) |
| 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 | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” 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 | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 41276714) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Mustafa, M. A., Vadia, N., Varma, P., Al-Shaker, H., Mohanty, B., Dhyani, A., et al. (2025). The Gut-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease: Exploring Microbial Influences and Therapeutic Strategies. Molecular neurobiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-025-05474-4
Vancouver
Mustafa MA, Vadia N, Varma P, Al-Shaker H, Mohanty B, Dhyani A, et al. The Gut-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease: Exploring Microbial Influences and Therapeutic Strategies. Molecular neurobiology. 2025. doi:10.1007/s12035-025-05474-4. PMID: 41276714.
BibTeX
@article{mustafa2025-41276714,
author = {Mustafa, Mohammed Ahmed and Vadia, Nasir and Varma, Pooja and Al-Shaker, Hasnaawei and Mohanty, Biswaranjan and Dhyani, Archana and Kaur, Irwanjot and Chauhan, Ashish Singh and others},
title = {{The Gut-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease: Exploring Microbial Influences and Therapeutic Strategies}},
journal = {Molecular neurobiology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1007/s12035-025-05474-4},
pmid = {41276714},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-025-05474-4}
}
Related studies in Disease mechanisms
Also tagged “dysbiosis”
173 studies in the library carry the topic tag “dysbiosis”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 173 tagged studies.