The potential use of lactic acid bacteria in neurodegenerative pathologies

Abstract

Aging is a common factor that leads to the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson´s and Alzheimer´s. Probiotics have the potential to act against some of the effects associated to aging and these diseases like the decrease of neurotransmitter levels, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis. They also can exert benefits against gastrointestinal disorders that accompany these pathologies such as diarrhea, constipation, deficient intake of vitamins, among others. In the present chapter, some mechanisms related to neurological disorders that can be prevented or ameliorated improved by probiotics as well as the importance of the gut-brain axis in order to understand the potential of probiotics against neurodegenerative diseases will be discussed.