Data from: Gut microbiota regulate motor deficits and neuroinflammation in a model of Parkinson’s disease

The intestinal microbiota influence neurodevelopment, modulate behavior,
and contribute to neurological disorders. However, a functional link
between gut bacteria and neurodegenerative diseases remains unexplored.
Synucleinopathies are characterized by aggregation of the protein
α-synuclein (αSyn), often resulting in motor dysfunction as exemplified by
Parkinson’s disease (PD). Using mice that overexpress αSyn, we report
herein that gut microbiota are required for motor deficits, microglia
activation, and αSyn pathology. Antibiotic treatment ameliorates, while
microbial re-colonization promotes, pathophysiology in adult animals,
suggesting that postnatal signaling between the gut and the brain
modulates disease. Indeed, oral administration of specific microbial
metabolites to germ-free mice promotes neuroinflammation and motor
symptoms. Remarkably, colonization of αSyn-overexpressing mice with
microbiota from PD-affected patients enhances physical impairments
compared to microbiota transplants from healthy human donors. These
findings reveal that gut bacteria regulate movement disorders in mice and
suggest that alterations in the human microbiome represent a risk factor
for PD.