Inulin restores cognitive function in mouse model of vascular impairment via gut microbiota-SCFA-GPR41/43-GABAergic pathway (microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com)

• Inulin improved cognition and anxiety in BCAS-induced VCI mice by enriching SCFA-producing gut microbiota.
• Antibiotic depletion, GPR41/43 knockdown, and GABA blockade each abolished inulin's benefits, confirming the causal pathway.
• The study delineates a gut-mPFC axis: inulin → SCFAs → GPR41/43 → GABAergic function restoration.

"Researchers showed that inulin supplementation alleviates cognitive deficits in a mouse model of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) by enriching SCFA-producing gut bacteria, which activate GPR41/43 receptors in the medial prefrontal cortex to restore GABAergic transmission. The effect was abolished by antibiotics, GPR41/43 knockdown, or GABA blocker bicuculline, confirming the microbiota-SCFA-GABA axis."