The enigmatic ‘brain microbiome’ could play a role in neurological disease [Video]

The microbes that live in your gut are having their moment in the sun. Even if you haven’t been following the research, you can’t have missed the hundreds of adverts for probiotics and prebiotics, aimed at selling you products to keep your microbiome healthy.

Other microbiomes have also recently been discovered, and these too play an important role in your health. Your mouth, nasal cavity, skin and scalp all have their own unique microbiomes. Some have even proposed that the brain has its own microbiome.

The idea that the brain has a microbiome was first suggested in 2013, but it didn’t get much attention. This is mostly due to the longstanding belief that the brain is a sterile organ, shielded from the rest of the body and from harmful agents that are circulating in our blood.

It is also …