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The following is a summary of “Decoding the role of the gut microbiome in the gut-brain axis, stress-resilience, or stress-susceptibility: A review,” published in the December 2023 issue of Psychiatry by Sah et al.
Exposure to heightened stress often contributes to various stress-related conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and neurodegenerative illnesses. However, not everyone exposed to stress develops susceptibility to these disorders; many individuals exhibit resilience. Hence, the development of stress resilience holds significant promise for managing stress-related conditions, potentially offering an alternative or supplementary approach to existing therapies. This review focuses on recent strides in gut microbiome research and its potential role in determining resilience or susceptibility to stress via the gut-brain axis (GBA). The intricate interplay among the autonomic nervous system (ANS), immune system, endocrine system, microbial metabolites, and bioactive lipids, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), neurotransmitters, and their metabolites, likely orchestrates the communication between gut microbiota and the brain.
Strategies like high-fiber diets, prebiotics, probiotics, plant-based supplements, and fecal microbiome transplant (FMT) have emerged as potential therapies against brain disorders linked to gut dysbiosis. These interventions might bolster the growth of SCFA-producing bacteria, thus fortifying the gut barrier and diminishing gut inflammatory responses. They may also heighten the expression of proteins like claudin-2, which is tied to gut barrier function, and maintain the integrity of the blood-brain barrier by promoting the expression of tight junction proteins like claudin-5. Moreover, their neuroprotective effects might extend to enhancing the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1). Further research endeavors are essential in gut microbiome investigations to unravel the mechanisms through which gut dysbiosis contributes to the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1876201823004185
