John Cryan

John Cryan, a neuropharmacologist and microbiome expert from the University College Cork, shares surprising facts and insights about how our thoughts and emotions are connected to our guts.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the ‘why’ in everything. A career in biomedicine is the perfect way to be continuously asking why.” — John Cryan

ABOUT JOHN

Neuroscientist John Cryan investigates how the gut microbiome affects the mammalian brain. He is Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience and Principal Investigator in the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Center at University College of Cork (Ireland). His research has far-reaching public health implications, from how we view Caesarean sections, to how the microbiome influences brain development, to the impact of probiotics on mood. John’s work shows that the term “gut feeling” might actually make neurobiological sense.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

More than a gut feeling
Q&A with John Cryan on the TEDMED blog

Gut Feelings
Radiolab, Robert Krulwich, WNYC, Season 10, Episode 7.

Can the bacteria in your gut send message to your brain?
Science Friday, Ira Flatow, WNYC, Aug. 27, 2014.

Probiotic Material Chill Out Anxious Mice
Science Friday, Ira Flatow, WNYC, Sept. 02, 2011.

Cesarean birth alters immune system, social behavior in mice
Hughes, V. Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. Nov 18 2014.

Mental Health May Depend on Creatures in the Gut
Schmidt, C. Scientific American. February 2015.

When Yogurt Affects the Brain
Khazan, O. The Atlantic. Sept 23 2014.

Our Microbiome May Be Looking Out For Itself
Zimmer, C. New York Times. Aug 14 2014.

Understanding psychobiotics
Lawson, C. WIRED Health. Mar. 9 2015.

Body bacteria: Can your gut bugs make you smarter?
Swain, F. BBC. Feb. 21, 2014.

Mental Health: Thinking from the gut
Schmidt, C. Nature. Feb. 26, 2015.

Gut-brain link grabs neuroscientists
Reardon, S. Nature. Nov. 12, 2014.

Friends with social benefits: host-microbe interactions as a driver of brain evolution and development?
Stilling, R, SR Bordenstein, et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. Oct 2014.

Mind-altering microorganisms: the impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behavior
Cryan JF, TG Dinan. Nat Rev Neurosci. Oct 2012. 13, 701–12.

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