Microbiota of Epileptic Brain versus Normal Brain Microbiota

Presenter

Josean Cabrera

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 A25, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

The microbiome is the composition of microorganisms within a set environment, however it wasn’t until recently that the brain was discovered to have microorganisms, just like our guts. It is unknown whether the composition of this microbiome has any effect on normal brain functions and pathways. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 5 million people are diagnosed with epilepsy each year, which averages to about 4 to 10 in every 1000 people.The purpose of this study is to observe the differences in composition of the microbiome between epileptic and normal human brains using raw 16s RNA bacterial sequences to identify bacteria to a species level. Differences between the two groups could highlight the importance of microbiome composition in the brain, as well as how those differences lead to epilepsy in these patients. This preliminary research could potentially be applied to future research with other common brain diseases such as schizophrenia, dementia, stroke, and many more life-impacting diseases.

Keywords

brain, microbiome, epilepsy

Research Area

Biological Organisms

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