Your Mouth's Bacteria May Be Linked to How Quickly You Think

Key Points:

• A study published in PLOS ONE found statistical associations between certain tongue bacteria and cognitive test performance among 60 healthy adults in the UK and Belgium, suggesting a potential link between oral microbes and information processing speed.
• The bacterium Prevotella histicola was consistently linked to faster responses on cognitive tests in both countries, while Haemophilus parainfluenzae showed mixed associations depending on the task and location.
• Age was the strongest predictor of cognitive performance, with older adults showing lower scores and slower responses, and 17 bacterial species differed in abundance between younger and older participants.
• The study did not establish causation or test if altering oral bacteria improves cognition, and limitations include small sample size, lack of diet and lifestyle controls, and potential variability from sample handling.
• Researchers emphasize that while certain oral bacteria correlate with cognitive differences, further larger studies are needed to clarify whether these microbes influence brain function or simply reflect other shared factors.