Comparison of Brain Microbiome between Pet Mice and Laboratory Mice

Presenter

Marissa Ann Feary

Campus

Westfield State University

Sponsor

Mao-Lun Weng, Department of Biology, Westfield State University

Schedule

Session 4, 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A24, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Microbiome is the presence of microorganisms existing in environments on the body that have a genetic makeup value to the environment. The brain was thought to be a sterile environment, but recent studies have shown evidence of brain microbiome although their function remain unclear.  A brain microbiome project involves studying the microbes that naturally occur on the brain to see what affects these microbiomes can have on the brain. To investigate whether environment affects brain microbiome composition, DNA were extracted and sequenced from brain samples of pet mice that are exposed to natural environment and brain samples of sterile lab mice to compare and contrast the microbes from each mice’s brain. The comparisons will reveal the diversity of brain microbiomes, environmental influence on microbiomes, specificity of microorganism species, and association of brain microbiome and the overall health of the mice. The result from the project could be transferred onto humans to aid in understanding of how the microbiome affects the human brain and serve as the foundation for investigating if brain microbiome contributes to diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, or any variants of mental disease.

Keywords

Microbiome, Brain, Mice

Research Area

Biological Organisms

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