April 27, 2024

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Gut microbes may become a new therapy for depression and anxiety

Gut microbes may become a new therapy for depression and anxiety



Gut microbes may become a new therapy for depression and anxiety.

The role of the microbiome in the gut and systemic health has been closely watched by scientists for many years, and now there is growing evidence that this collection of microbes in the human gut also influences a person’s health.

Neurological and emotional health, recently, in a research report titled “Modulating brain function with microbiota” published in the international journal Science, scientists from McMaster University and other institutions found through research that the gut microbiome may It is expected to help develop new treatments for human psychiatric disorders.

In the article, the researchers outline how scientists are unraveling the connections between the microbiome and the body’s brain, including with diseases such as depression and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Dr. Foster first discovered mice The association between gut microbes and anxiety disorders, and through animal studies, researchers have revealed specific microbial communities and associated metabolites that increase anxiety-like behavior and brain function in the body, translating these findings to the clinical population may be expected to help develop novel therapies that improve disease symptoms and clinical outcomes.

In this study, researchers uncovered a link between the human body’s 39 trillion gut microbes and a predisposition to brain disease.

Researcher Foster pointed out that there is some heterogeneity in patients at risk for or diagnosed with depression, so we hope to use biological mechanisms to understand specific biomarkers that can help define different populations.

Such a comprehensive approach may be necessary if researchers can find therapeutic answers for patients suffering from mental illness.

In addition, researchers are studying unidirectional and bipolar depression to better understand the causes of depression, identify new treatments and improve current ones.

Gut microbes may become a new therapy for depression and anxiety

Image source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo4220

Madhukar H. Trivedi, MD, said, “I am very pleased that we are working with Foster to investigate the biology of human mental illness and mental health through a multi-pronged approach.

Researchers have previously uncovered how inflammation affects depression by looking for relevant immune markers in obtained blood samples.

They also looked for corresponding immune markers in stool samples collected from participants in the Texas Longitudinal Study of Antidepressants.

If samples from the bodies of people with depression can produce specific microbes that are associated with the success of certain antidepressant drugs or therapies, this may lead to individualized treatment for patients.

Researcher Foster said that we currently have a large number of treatment options, but such decisions are mainly based on behavioral and self-report, and in some cases, imaging and EEG information; antidepressants usually only affect about 40% , and other treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy, deep brain stimulation, and even exercise and diet.

By expanding on individual patients, can researchers improve the number of patients who respond to a particular therapy? This may still need to be confirmed by further research in the future.

Original source:

Jane A. Foster, Modulating brain function with microbiota, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abo4220

Gut microbes may become a new therapy for depression and anxiety

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