Gut microbiota: the indispensable player in neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract As one of the most urgent social and health problems in the world, neurodegenerative diseases have always been attracted by researchers. However, the pathological mechanisms and therapeutic approaches are not achieved. In addition to the established roles of oxidative stress, inflammation and immune response, the changes of gut microbiota are also closely related to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Gut microbiota is the central player of gut‐ brain axis, the dynamic bidirectional communication pathway between gut microbiota and central nervous system, and emerging insights have confirmed its indispensability in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we discussed the complex relationship between gut microbiota and the central nervous system from the perspective of gut‐brain axis, reviewed the mechanism of microbiota on the modulation different neurodegenerative diseases and concluded how different dietary patterns affected neurodegenerative diseases via gut microbiota, and prospected the employment of gut microbiota in the therapeutic approach of those diseases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.