About the Speaker

Ali Khoshnan, PhD
California Institute of Technology

Gut Bacteria and HD: What’s the Connection?

Disruptions in gut bacteria have been linked with brain inflammation and neurodegeneration. In HD, brain inflammation occurs early and worsens with age. In addition, inflammatory bacteria in the gut of HD animals alter gene expression and brain chemistry, impairing mobility and shortening life span.

Dr. Khoshnan is testing the hypothesis that excess growth of opportunistic bacteria in the gut of people with HD triggers brain inflammation and exacerbates symptoms. These changes are reversed in HD animals by treatment with molecules which prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Using these models, he is characterizing gut-brain defects in HD to develop gut-based therapeutics.