Scriven, M.; Dinan, T.G.; Cryan, J.F.; Wall, M. Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Influence of Gut Microbe to Brain Signalling. Diseases2018, 6, 78.
Scriven, M.; Dinan, T.G.; Cryan, J.F.; Wall, M. Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Influence of Gut Microbe to Brain Signalling. Diseases 2018, 6, 78.
Scriven, M.; Dinan, T.G.; Cryan, J.F.; Wall, M. Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Influence of Gut Microbe to Brain Signalling. Diseases2018, 6, 78.
Scriven, M.; Dinan, T.G.; Cryan, J.F.; Wall, M. Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Influence of Gut Microbe to Brain Signalling. Diseases 2018, 6, 78.
Abstract
The microbiome gut brain (MGB) axis involves bidirectional routes of communication and has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for multiple medical specialities including psychiatry. Significant numbers of preclinical trials have taken place with some transitioning to clinical studies in more recent years. Some positive results have been reported secondary to probiotic administration in both healthy populations and specific patient groups. This review aims to summarise the current understanding of the MGB axis and the preclinical and clinical findings relevant to psychiatry. The link between the gut microbiome and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is well established. Significant differences have been identified between the microbiome of patients with a diagnosis of depressive disorder and healthy controls. Similar findings have occurred in patients diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder. A probiotic containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Bifidobacterium bifidum produced clinically measurable symptom improvement in patients with depressive disorder. To date some promising results have suggested that probiotics could play a role in the treatment of stress-related psychiatric disease. However, more well-controlled clinical trials are required to determine which clinical conditions are likely to benefit most significantly from this novel approach.
Keywords
psychiatry; gut microbiome; probiotics
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Mental Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
