With the theme of “When Neuroscience meet GutMicrobiology: Mechanisms and Functions”, the Symposium invited well-known experts and scholars in the fields of Neuroscience and GutMicrobiology from home and abroad to discuss the frontier of the biological functions of the brain-gut-microbiota axis and its functions and mechanisms in nerve system disease.

As an academic organization focusing on scientific research and comprehensive solution for maternal and child health, BINC has been paying close attention to the research and development of brain-gut axis and maternal and child health since its establishment. BINC was invited to participate in the Symposium to communicate with domestic and foreign experts. Prof. Ling Zongxin, Principal Investigator of State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases of Zhejiang University, and Dr. Liu Feitong, Senior Research Fellow of H&H Group, were invited to present a special report on brain-gut axis.

At the Symposium, Prof. Ling Zongxin shared his team’s research on psychobiotics, a new type of treatment material for the neuropsychiatric system. He pointed out that alteration of intestinal flora can be seen in various gut-brain diseases, clostridium butyricum and its metabolite butyrate can regulate the gut microbes and treat various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as vascular dementia, depression, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Based on the current findings, he believed clostridium butyricum is a potential psychobiotic.

Prof. Ling Zongxin, Principal Investigator of State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases of Zhejiang University

In her report, Dr. Liu mentioned that high levels of oxidative stress were observed in the microbiota-gut-brain axis of autistic model mice. Compared with normal mice, autistic mice showed obvious structural disorder of intestinal flora and impaired intestinal barrier function in early life. Similar to autistic children, there was a significant decrease in beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria. The findings suggest that specific antioxidant interventions can improve autism-like behaviour by improving the disordered intestinal flora and intestinal barrier and increasing the abundance and quantity of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria. Her study offers new evidence for the research on microbiota-gut-brain axis in autism.

HH Group  Dr. Liu Feitong

In addition, Dr. Patrice Malard, CTO of H&H Group and Scientific Consultant of BINC, was invited to attend the Symposium. He warmly introduced BINC to the participating experts. According to Dr. Malard, BINC mainly focuses on maternal and child nutrition, care & psychology, and the China-France Joint Brain-Gut-Microbiota Symposium is a good communication platform for research on brain-gut axis worldwide. In order to promote the development of maternal and child health, BINC has set up a special fund with annual investment of 1 million RMB for scientific research to support scientific research in many fields, including brain-gut axis.

Dr. Malard (the first one from the right), CTO of H&H Group, exchanged research and application results in the field of micro-ecology with participating experts