Speaker: Professor Niall P. Hyland - Department of Physiology, University College Cork (Ireland)
Date: Friday 23 May
Time: 2:00pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1
Abstract:
Understanding gut-brain axis dysfunction requires reliable physiological markers that reflect the bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. This presentation focuses on gastrointestinal physiological endpoints, including ion transport, motility, and epithelial integrity as sensitive indicators of gut-brain axis disruption, particularly under conditions of stress. Using validated preclinical models such as early life stress, antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, and chronic psychosocial stress, we demonstrate how stress alters gastrointestinal physiology in ways that are microbiota-dependent. Ex vivo assays, including Ussing chambers and organ baths, reveal changes in barrier function and neuromuscular activity that correspond with microbial and neuroimmune shifts. Furthermore, we explore how interventions such as probiotics, postbiotics, and dietary components modulate these endpoints and offer translational potential. These data underscore the value of gastrointestinal physiological readouts as quantifiable and mechanistically relevant measures of gut-brain axis dysfunction
Bio:
Professor Niall Hyland is a leading expert in pharmacology and gastrointestinal physiology. He is a Professor in the Department of Physiology at University College Cork, where he also serves as Director of the BSc Physiology degree programme, and is a Funded Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland. He earned his BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Ulster, followed by a PhD in Pharmacology from King's College London. He then undertook postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary, supported by funding from the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and AstraZeneca. His research explores how the gut microbiota influences gastrointestinal physiology in health and disease, focusing on disorders of gut-brain interaction, colon cancer, and Fabry disease. His laboratory uses advanced ex vivo and in vivo models to investigate microbial therapeutics and microbiota-drug interactions. In 2022, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the British Pharmacological Society for his service to the Society and his contribution to the discipline. He currently serves as the Society’s elected Trustee for Research Dissemination.