Presentation Details
| Gut–brain modulation of taste after spinal cord injury and sleeve gastrectomy: Metabolic state and select microbial contributors Jonathan Snyder, Gregory Holmes, Andras Hajnal. Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA |
Abstract
Approximately two-thirds of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) develop overweight or obesity. Although metabolic surgeries such as sleeve gastrectomy (SG) effectively promote long-term weight loss and improve glycemic control, responses to SG in SCI, particularly regarding diet-driven behavior and sensory processing, remain poorly understood. In this study, male Wistar rats underwent thoracic (T3) contusion or sham surgery, followed by six weeks of high-fat diet (60% kcal from fat) exposure prior to SG. SG reduced adiposity, improved glycemic control, and decreased sucrose preference. Notably, SCI-SG rats exhibited enhanced sucrose-evoked cFos activation in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract compared with non-SCI SG rats. We further evaluated the contribution of gut microbiota using fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT), comparing autologous and heterologous transplants on taste and metabolic outcomes, including body composition, metabolic rate, and glycemic control. SG-associated alterations in taste responses assessed by using brief-access lick tests, i.e., reduced sucrose licks and changes in salt and sour sensitivity, were partially transferable via FMT, supporting a mechanistic role for the gut microbiome in modulating taste after SG. Taste responses tracked modestly with metabolic state, particularly fat mass, whereas most taxa differentiating SG and FMT groups showed no association with taste. In contrast, a small subset of taxa, including Clostridioides-associated lineages, correlated with taste outcomes. Together, these findings indicate that SG-related taste alterations align with metabolic state and identify candidate microbes for mechanistic testing and targeted probiotic strategies to improve post-surgical outcomes in SCI.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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