I may be biased due to the topic I chose for my final review essay, but I would love to be able to allocate funding for research dedicated to discovering the connection between our microbial populations and brain-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The amount of people affected by incurable neuro-degenerative disorders is astronomical, with future prospects not looking much better. Delving into the research regarding the pathogen hypothesis, it revealed numerous proof of concept studies that necessitate funding for the next level of research. With the current line of thinking (amyloid cascade hypothesis) bringing no successful treatments to fruition, I believe it is definitely time to broaden our horizons with a new perspective that considers microbes as the possible catalyst and route to treatment. If nothing else, it would certainly give us the opportunity to further understand how microbes could influence the human brain, and vice versa, as there are numerous other disorders that still require answers (e.g., Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, depression, anxiety, etc.).
