HDF Young Investigators, Ep. 2 - The Gut and HD with Dr. Carolina Gubert

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This project was inspired by increasing evidence that bugs inhabiting the gut influence brain function and dysfunction, and that the gut microbial community is abnormal in mice and people with Huntington’s disease. It has also been shown that the imbalanced gut bacterial profile observed in individuals carrying the HD gene is associated with lower cognitive performance and poorer clinical outcomes. In HD mice, Dr. Hannan’s lab recently showed that this phenomenon appears even before motor symptoms. However, they do not yet fully understand the mechanisms mediating this imbalance nor do they know whether an intervention that returns the community of bugs towards a normal profile might be therapeutic. This project will address these important questions in HD mice by using environmental, microbial and pharmacological interventions targeting the gut microbial imbalance and hopefully ameliorating brain dysfunction. This project may facilitate future development of new treatments for people with HD.