Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine have discovered a “neurobiotic sense” that lets the brain respond in real time to signals from microbes living in our gut. This new system, which involves tiny sensor cells called neuropods, detects a common microbial protein and sends rapid messages to the brain to curb appetite.
The study, published in Nature, found that when mice were given a small dose of flagellin, an ancient protein released by gut bacteria, they ate less. However, this effect was lost when the mice lacked the TLR5 receptor, which helps deliver the signal to the brain.
The discovery suggests that flagellin sends a “we’ve had enough” signal through TLR5, allowing the gut to tell the brain it’s time to stop eating. This finding has implications for understanding how gut microbes influence behavior and could be useful in explaining conditions like obesity or psychiatric disorders.
Further research is needed to investigate how specific diets change the microbial landscape in the gut, but this breakthrough opens up new avenues for studying the complex relationship between the gut and brain.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-newly-sixth-links-gut-microbes.html