The microbiota at the interface of environmental toxicants and the brain.

Gut microbiota significantly influence the body's response to environmental neurotoxicants, affecting toxicity outcomes and neurological health.

• Why it matters: Understanding how microbiota interact with environmental toxicants is crucial because these microbes can alter toxicant metabolism and host defenses, impacting disease risk.
• What they did: The review synthesizes evidence from studies on environmental neurotoxicants, microbial composition, and host responses, highlighting microbiota-dependent mechanisms affecting detoxification.
• The result: Findings position the gut microbiota as key mediators in environmental exposure effects, offering new avenues for risk assessment and potential therapeutic strategies for neuroprotection.