GABA-producing lactobacilli boost cognitive reactivity to negative mood without improving cognitive performance: a human double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study
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Background Psychobiotic bacteria are probiotics able to influence stress-related behavior, sleep, and cognitive outcomes. Several in vitro and human studies were performed to assess their physiological potential, to find strains having psychotropic activity in humans, and to elucidate the metabolic pathways involved. In our previous in vitro study, we identified two strains Levilactobacillus brevis P30021 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P30025, able to produce GABA and acetylcholine, being promising candidates to provide an effect on mood and cognitive performance. Aim To investigate the effects of probiotics in the alleviation on the cognitive performance of moderately stressed healthy adults. Secondary outcomes were related to mood improvement, production of GABA, glutamate, acetylcholine, and choline and modification of the microbiota composition. Methods A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study investigated the effects of a probiotic formulation (Levilactobacillus brevis P30021 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P30025) on psychological, memory, and cognition parameters in 44 (Probiotic = 44, Placebo = 43) adults with a mean age of 29 ± 5.7 years old by CogState Battery test. Subjects-inclusion criteria was a mild-moderate (18.7 ± 4.06) stress upon diagnosis using the DASS-42 questionnaire. Results Probiotic treatment had no effect on subjective stress measures. The probiotic formulation showed a significant beneficial effect on depressive…
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Casertano et al. (2024) and Chahwan et al. (2019) reported reductions in maladaptive cognitive reactivity and rumination without broad mood changes.
“Casertano et al. (2024) and Chahwan et al. (2019) reported reductions in maladaptive cognitive reactivity and rumination without broad mood changes”
From Psychobiotics in mental health: insights from human clinical trials via the gut-brain axis (2026) · cites this paper as Casertano et al. (2024)
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“Stress is an emotional and physiological reaction to major life events and demanding circumstances and it is becoming very common in modern society (Kriakous et al. 2021).”
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Psychobiotics in mental health: insights from human clinical trials via the gut-brain axis
Sisubalan, N., Kesika, P., Sivamaruthi, B. S., & Chaiyasut, C. (2026) · Frontiers in microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2026.1804560 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
- Authors
- Casertano, M., Dekker, M., Valentino, V., De Filippis, F., Fogliano, V., & Ercolini, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Naples Federico II (IT)
- Wageningen University & Research (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Fogliano, Vincenzo
- Venue
- Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-11
- Volume
- 122
- Pages
- 256-265
- ISSN
- 0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4401675427
- Cited by
- 35
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 1
- FWCI
- 7.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- European Regional Development Fund
- European Social Fund
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › GABA and Rice Research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Keywords
- probiotics, psychobiotics, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, rumination, depressive symptoms, stress, cognitive performance, gut microbiota, neurotransmitters, acetylcholine, glutamate, choline, memory, CogState, DASS
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Cognition, Double-Blind Method, Female, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Humans, Lactobacillus, Male, Stress, Psychological, Cross-Over Studies, Probiotics, Levilactobacillus brevis, Young Adult
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