Case Western Reserve University links gut bacteria sugars to brain inflammation in ALS and FTD
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Apr 25
Case Western Reserve University links gut bacteria sugars to brain inflammation in ALS and FTD
11 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Apr 25
Researchers identified inflammatory glycogen from Parabacteroides merdae in the gut, with elevated levels in 15 of 22 ALS patients and one FTD patient compared to healthy controls.
Introducing this bacteria to mice lacking gut microbes caused brain inflammation and blood-brain barrier breakdown, while alpha-amylase treatment reduced inflammation and extended lifespan, though motor function was not improved.
The study suggests microbial glycogen interacts with genetic risk factors to influence ALS and FTD onset, and supports future clinical trials targeting glycogen degradation in patients to potentially slow disease progression.
Is a bacterial sugar in the gut the true cause of ALS, or just a symptom of the disease?
If gut bacteria can trigger ALS, could a simple dietary enzyme be the key to stopping it?
Could specific foods we eat starve the newly discovered bacterial culprit behind neurodegeneration?
Researchers reversed brain inflammation in mice; how soon could this gut-focused therapy reach humans?
What other incurable brain diseases might actually begin with an imbalance in our gut?
With clinical trials for this gut therapy expected by 2027, how will doctors test for the risk?
Inflammatory Bacterial Glycogen in Gut Drives Neuroinflammation in 70% of ALS and FTD Cases
Overview
A landmark 2026 study revealed that specific sugars called inflammatory glycogen, produced by gut bacteria like Parabacteroides merdae, trigger brain inflammation in ALS and FTD patients. In people with mutations in the C9orf72 gene, impaired clearance of these sugars causes immune cells to release inflammatory signals that disrupt the blood-brain barrier. This allows immune cells to enter the brain, activating microglia and causing chronic neuroinflammation that damages neurons. Using innovative sterile mouse models, researchers confirmed that reducing these bacterial sugars lowers brain inflammation and extends lifespan. These findings have led to planned clinical trials aiming to degrade harmful glycogen in the gut, offering new hope for treating these diseases.