Gut dysbiosis leads to cognitive decline through CNTF-mediated activation of microglia in mice

In summary, our study demonstrates that antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis triggers a cascade of neuroinflammatory events in the hippocampus, involving the elevation of CNTF, microglial pruning at presynaptic terminals, and reciprocal activation of glial cells, resulting in cognitive deficits. These findings highlight the critical role of gut-brain communication in maintaining neural homeostasis and identify CNTF as a potential therapeutic target for dysbiosis-associated cognitive disorders.