10. Animal Models Used for Studying the Benefits of Probiotics in Neurodegeneration

Neurodegenerative sicknesses, viz., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, and the spinocerebellar ataxias pose a significant risk to human well-being. These disorders are known to progress inexorably to severe inability and death. Presently, about 30 million people in India are known to suffer from one or the other forms of neurodegenerative disorders with an average prevalence rate of 2394 patients per 1,00,000 of the population. Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits on the host.” A novel class of probiotics called “Psychobiotics,” a group of probiotics that has ability to affect the central nervous system (CNS) and its related functions and behaviors are currently reviewed by scientific community for its potential application in the treatment of mental illness. An abundance of information has demonstrated that psychobiotics residing in gut play crucial roles in the prevention and treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders. Emerging evidences demonstrate that these psychobiotics protect CNS by positively modulating gut–brain axis (GBA) via immune, humoral, neural, and metabolic pathways. Furthermore, preclinical trials involving animal models have claimed the therapeutic benefit of several psychobiotics. However, recognizing appropriate animal model is vital for evaluating the therapeutic efficiency of psychobiotics. Thus, this chapter outlines the advantages and challenges of current animal models and discusses future research directions of neurodegenerative disorders.