In Alzheimer's, Connection Between Bone, Brain, and Microbiome May Be Critical

Newswise reports that a team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will use a U.S. National Institutes of Health grant to explore links between the brain, bone, and gut microbiota as they relate to Alzheimer's disease. The researchers are investigating osteocalcin, a bone-specific protein that affects multiple physiological processes, including energy consumption and glucose levels. Osteocalcin also can traverse the blood-brain barrier, where it binds to neurons and influences the synthesis of neurotransmitters. "Our theory is that . . . osteocalcin . . . gets modified or not modified by the microbiome and then affects the brain function," said RPI's Deepak Vashishth. "We are trying to determine if there is a correlation and a mechanistic link between the two, especially in the context of Alzheimer's disease." An altered composition of gut bacteria could affect the production of vitamin K, and change the level of osteocalcin in the body. Distorted osteocalcin concentration may impact glucose metabolism, leading to the formation of advanced glycation end-products, which are tied to Alzheimer's disease and diabetes-related skeletal fragility.