Last week I discussed the effects gut bacteria have on the central nervous system and as well as their influence on behaviors observed in mice. These findings suggest that perhaps gut flora manipulation would prove to be an effective treatment of psychological disorders. To elaborate on this idea, I found a study that measured psychological changes under the treatment of probiotics. This study investigated the effects of probiotics on depression, hostility, and anxiety-yielding promising results for potential future treatment methods. A probiotic formulation of Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 was given to a general population. Using the Hopkins symptoms checklist-90, the researchers found that people who received the probiotics significantly improved over a 30 day period with a decrease in anxiety and depression, as well as sub-areas such as obsessive compulsion and paranoid-ideation (Messaoudi et al., 2011). One possible explanation for these findings is that probiotics reduce brain inflammation. The probiotics used in this research decrease the amount of inflammatory-inducing cytokines (proteins that signal other cells) found in the gut (Messaoudi et al., 2011). It's speculated that the signals from the cytokines travel via the vagus nerve to the brain (although there are other hypothesis about how these signals travel as well). Brain inflammation has been linked to depression and anxiety; thus priobiotics' ability to reduce inflammation signaling may be linked to the study's findings. However, researchers concluded that not only can probiotics assist in behavioral abnormalities, but in general well being. Moreover, it is believed that chronic stress could disrupt the delicate balance of gut bacteria and thus potentially lead to diseases. However, the researchers speculate that taking probiotics could keep the gut in good health and prevent such unbalance in the future if/when stress arises (Messaoudi et al., 2011).
Reference:
Messaoudi, M., Violle, N., Bisson, J., Desor, D., Javelot, H., & Rougeot, C. (2011). Beneficial psychological effects of a probiotic formulation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) in healthy human volunteers. Gut Microbes, 2(4), 256-261.
Very interesting! The microbiome is definitely a place of intriguing interest and how it influences behaviour is astounding! Are the microbes that they used (Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum) naturally occurring in the human gut? I imagine that cytokines are necessary in the body, so what triggers the body to produce too many cytokines? Great post!
ReplyDeleteLactobacillus helveticus is a fermenting bacteria that is used to produce cheese. However, I assume that perhaps this bacteria could be transferred the the human body through the consumption of cheese. Bifidobacterium longum, on the other hand, is an important naturally occurring bacteria already found in the human gut. Similar to Lactobacillus helveticus, Bifidobacterium longum is also a fermenting bacteria that converts sugars into lactic acid (it can also be found in yogurt and other fermented food). Furthermore, a variety of factors can lead to an overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines; such as dietary choices, sleeping patterns, and overall stress on the body.
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