Beyond gut health, recent studies have shown that butyrate may also be associated with beneficial effects on cognition, behavior, and physiology in rodents and in humans. This communication exchange that occurs between the enteric and the central nervous system is called the gut-brain axis. Despite the widespread use of prebiotics, there are no blanket approaches to understand how prebiotics reshape the gut microbiota community to enhance human cognition and behavior.
The David Lab is currently enrolling healthy participants for a pilot study designed to test the effects of a pre-packaged prebiotic snack bar on human cognition, behavior, and physiology. Participants will be asked to wear personal activity trackers (i.e. smart watches), complete computer-based cognitive tests, and provide stool and blood samples. More information on this study is available here.