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Can the brain modify our microbiota?

In this final week, we showed how modifying the microbiota can affect the brain. Is there any evidence of the contrary – that is, that the brain can modify the …

Do psychobiotics work?

Are there interventions that can improve our mind by enhancing our gut microbiota? In this video, we explore the results of some studies that investigated this topic in humans, trying …

Gut-brain axis and our mind

In this video, we explore in more detail the relationship between the microbiome and our mind. Most studies on the topic actually involve animals, as we already saw in the …

What bacteria live in our gut?

Lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, staphylococcus.. what are they? Our gut microbiota is composed of different species of bacteria, all competing for resources: food and “living space”. Some of these bacteria produce metabolic …

Caffeine: a healthy molecule?

Can coffee, chocolate and tea improve our brain health? Caffeine is a molecule common to these three foods – and more. We are all acquainted with its effects on wakefulness …

Antioxidants and the brain

What is oxidation? Oxidation is a chemical process that occurs virtually everywhere in nature, and it involves the transfer of electrons from an atom to another one. When talking about …

Omega-3 fats and the brain

Essential fatty acids and brain health In this activity, we will explore the beneficial roles of certain foods – from mother’s milk to tea and chocolate – for our brain. …

Primary and secondary emotions

What are primary and secondary emotions? An emotion is a mental and physiological feeling state that directs our attention and guides our behaviour. The most fundamental emotions are widely believed …

Glossary

Here are some definitions of terms that you encountered during week 1, or will encounter during the next weeks. Adrenal glands Two endocrine glands placed above the kidneys. They secrete …

What are cognitions?

What are cognitions? The term cognition can be used broadly to describe a mental action of acquiring and understanding information and knowledge, by incorporating our thoughts and our past experiences. …

The brain as a steering centre of the body

The brain constantly communicates with the rest of the body It receives input from the sensory organs: our tongue, eyes, skin, ears, nose, and through receptors that monitor the internal …

What is the blood-brain barrier?

The discovery of the blood-brain barrier At the end of the previous video we mentioned the blood-brain barrier – but what is it, exactly? It is not a structure or …

Microbiome role in the gut-brain axis, part II

Does the microbiome affect our body? Are there any connections between the microbiome and our brain function? This video shows the connections between gut microbiota and the brain. It stresses …

Microbiome role in the gut-brain axis, part I

What is the microbiome? This is the first of the two videos introducing the relationship between gut microbiome and the brain. In this video, Dagmara Złotkowska explains all necessary terms …