Comparing the efficacy of encapsulated and non-encapsulated probiotics to affect brain function

Given the role of the gut microbiota in inflammaging and age-related cognitive decline, there is great interest in investigating if manipulating gut microbiota composition impacts healthy aging. Thus far, few human studies have focused on probiotic supplementation in older adults diagnosed with a neurological disorder and even fewer have involved non-diagnosed, healthy older adults. Now, we are conducting a three-arm parallel double-blinded placebo-controlled probiotic intervention study in community-dwelling older adults to assess probiotic effects on brain function and cognition.

The study “Micro-encapsulation differentially impacts probiotic effects on brain structure and function in an elderly population – a randomised placebo-controlled trial” involved 87 healthy, older adults aged 60-80 years, participating in a six-week intervention. Participants were divided into three groups with two different forms of the same probiotic strain, encapsulated probiotic and non-encapsulated probiotic, or placebo. The study products were provided by AnaBio Technologies.

Participants completed self-rating scales (for example PSS), brain scans (for example MRI), cognitive function tests and provided blood and stool samples.

The results of the study indicated new patterns in brain functional connectivity between different regions; increased co-activation between different areas was seen in both groups with probiotics during resting state. These results may indicate that probiotics can impact brain funcitonal connectivity and structure in older adults and that different probiotic formulations may exert differential effects on brain function. Changes in grey matter volume were also observed.

Contact person: Ashley Hutchinson, Julia Rode

Publication:
Julia Rode, Ashley N. Hutchinson, Myrto S. Chatzopoulou, Sinéad B. Bleiel, Rediet Fikru Gebresenbet, Linda Andersson, Jonas Persson, Romain Daillère, Benoît Beitz, Bouthaina Ben Abdallah, Lina Tingö, Cecilia Bergh, Robert J. Brummer, Micro-encapsulation differentially impacts probiotic effects on brain structure and function in an elderly population – A randomised placebo-controlled trial, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Volume 130, 2025, 106113, ISSN 0889-1591.