Abstract A014: Gastrointestinal Microbiome and Stroke Outcomes Network: Initial Results

Background: The gut microbiome is increasingly implicated in neurological disease, yet its relationship with stroke severity and recovery in humans remains unclear. We investigated the associations between gut microbial profiles and clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: This was a two-center cohort of 204 adult acute ischemic stroke patients. Stool samples were collected at baseline (n = 144) and 3 months (n = 65) and profiled via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Stroke severity and disability were assessed using the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at both time points. Global associations between community composition and outcomes were tested with PERMANOVA. Taxon-level associations used multivariable regression and mixed-effect models, which adjusted for age, sequencing batch, and premorbid mRS. α was set to 0.05 for the global/community tests, and at FDR-adjusted