Publications by authors named "S M O'Mahony"
Pain and psychological stress are intricately linked, with sex differences evident in disorders associated with both systems. Glutamatergic signalling in the central nervous system is influenced by gonadal hormones via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and is central in pain research. Emerging evidence supports an important role for the gut microbiota in influencing pain signalling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients receiving palliative care experience stigma associated with their illness, personal identity, and healthcare utilization. These stigmas can occur at any stage of the disease process. Varying stigmas combine to cause palliative care patients to feel misunderstood, contribute to treatment barriers, and further negative stereotypes held by clinicians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Early life stress, like maternal separation in rats, impacts gut-brain communication and the microbiota, affecting later risk for stress-induced disorders differently in males and females.
- The research involved analyzing fecal samples and assessing changes in pain sensitivity and behavior in adulthood, revealing four distinct clusters: resilient, pain, immobile, and comorbid, each with unique gut microbiota profiles.
- This study highlights how early gut microbiota changes can define adult behavioral responses, marking a step forward in understanding the relationship between gut health and stress resilience or susceptibility.
Article Synopsis
- Research on the gut microbiota's role in brain disorders, particularly neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions, has made significant strides in the last decade but still requires more rigorous studies to understand causation and mechanisms.
- Strong evidence now connects the gut microbiome to diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, supported by studies involving human-to-animal microbiome transplants and ongoing clinical trials.
- While advances in understanding the microbiome's impact on cognitive health, especially in conditions like autism and ADHD, are promising, there remain critical gaps in our knowledge that need to be addressed for developing targeted therapies.