# Gut Microbiome contributions to the development and progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2020 · $37,464

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Despite decades of research, the etiology underlying the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains
unknown, and there are currently no preventative or disease-modifying treatments available. Accumulating
evidence suggests microbes, including those derived from the gut, may play a role in development or progression
of AD pathology. Humans harbor complex communities of microbes, with the vast majority of the microbial
population residing in the distal gut. Gut microbes perform essential functions for human health, and recent
studies point toward the importance of gut microbiota in brain development, function, and disease. Alterations in
the gut microbiome have been associated with several neurological conditions including autism spectrum
disorder, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. With respect to AD, the applicant’s preliminary studies
have revealed broad scale gut microbiome alterations in human subjects with AD and demonstrated associations
between differentially abundant bacterial taxa and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD pathology. This
project seeks to further determine the extent to which gut microbes influence the development or progression of
AD pathology in humans. Specifically, the project will use bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing of DNA isolated
from fecal samples to characterize the gut microbiome of human subjects in order to determine the cross-
sectional relationship between gut microbiota composition and neuroimaging markers, including regional AD
pathology as measured by in vivo amyloid and tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, regional brain
volume as measured by T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neural microstructure as
measured by neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI). Furthermore, this project will assess
the longitudinal relationship between gut microbiota composition and development and progression of AD
pathology as indexed by longitudinal CSF AD biomarkers (Aβ42 and phosphorylated tau), amyloid PET imaging,
and neuroinflammatory CSF biomarkers. This project will study both cognitively-healthy participants as well as
participants with dementia due to AD, which will allow determination of how the gut microbiota impact the entire
continuum of AD pathology, from the earliest biomarker changes in non-demented middle-aged adults to the
extensive neurodegeneration and amyloid deposition in overt AD dementia. Establishing a role for gut microbiota
in the pathogenesis of AD, especially early in the disease process, may lead to novel interventions aimed at
restoring or augmenting gut microbiota in order to help prevent or slow this devastating disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9984233
- **Project number:** 5F30AG059346-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Nicholas M Vogt
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $37,464
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-10 → 2021-05-07

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9984233

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9984233, Gut Microbiome contributions to the development and progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (5F30AG059346-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9984233. Licensed CC0.

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