Meeting Abstract
Circadian disruption in tandem with high-fat and high-sugar diets can cause sleep disruption and alter the composition of gut microbiota. This shift in gastrointestinal microbial homeostasis can alter signaling pathways and central nervous system function, causing or amplifying depressive behavior or disorders. Unlike common model systems, the African grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) is diurnal potentially making it a more appropriate system for studying the consequences of sleep disruption. The aim of this project is to examine the effects of altered photoperiod, associated sleep disruption, and sucrose consumption on the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiome. We found that exposure to short photoperiods (4:20 Light:Dark) significantly altered sleep and activity patterns relative to neutral (12L:12D) controls, but did not have a significant effect on sucrose consumption. We predicted that exposure to shortened photoperiod and sucrose consumption will exhibit synergistic effects on gut microbial diversity. To test this prediction, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples to characterize shifts in microbial community. In a subset of individuals, we used long read nanopore sequencing to explore changes in functional composition of the gut microbiome through different stages of photoperiod and diet treatments. Our findings will contribute to understanding of direct and indirect influences of photoperiod on the gut microbiome and will inform future studies examining how circadian disorganization, sleep disruption, and diet interact to affect mental health via the microbiome-gut-brain axis.
