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Gut microbiota dysbiosis in adolescent socially isolated mice with cognitive impairment and identification of key pathogenic microbial communities
Received date: 2025-07-03
Online published: 2025-10-10
Objective To elucidate the role of gut microbiota in cognitive impairment induced by adolescent social isolation （ASI） and identify key pathogenic microbial communities. Methods Sixteen male C57BL/6 mice （postnatal days 21 ~ 23） were randomly assigned to a control group （group?housed， 4/cage， n = 8） or an ASI group （single?housed， 1/cage， n = 8）. After 5 weeks of ASI （5?ASI）， fecal samples underwent 16S rRNA sequencing for microbiota analysis. Cognitive behavior was assessed using open field， Y?maze， novel object recognition tests. Correlation analysis integrated microbial abundance with behavioral parameters to screen cognition?associated taxa. Results （1） Behavior： 5?ASI mice showed unchanged locomotion （open field） but significantly reduced spontaneous alternation （Y?maze， P < 0.01） and lower cognitive index （novel object recognition， P < 0.001）， confirming spatial and recognition memory deficits. （2） Microbiota： 5?ASI mice exhibited decreased α?diversity （P < 0.05） and altered β?diversity （P < 0.001）. LEfSe analysis revealed depleted taxa （e.g.， Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group， Tyzzerella， Allobaculum， Ruminococcus） and enriched taxa （e.g.， Butyricicoccus， Lachnoclostridium）. （3） Correlations： Positive associations with cognitive performance were observed for Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group， Allobaculum， and Ruminococcus （P < 0.05）， while Butyricicoccus and Lachnoclostridium showed negative correlations （P < 0.05）. Conclusion Adolescent social isolation induces spatial/recognition memory impairment and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Specific microbial alterations （Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group， Butyricicoccus） correlate with cognitive deficits， providing novel insights into microbiota?mediated mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.
Key words： adolescence; social isolation; cognitive impairment; gut microbiota
Jinzhou JING , Zelin LI , Zhengyi LUO , Yuying. HU . Gut microbiota dysbiosis in adolescent socially isolated mice with cognitive impairment and identification of key pathogenic microbial communities[J]. The Journal of Practical Medicine, 2025 , 41(19) : 3000 -3007 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2025.19.007
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