The DOI matches its Crossref record; 136 of the 136 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Why does the microbiome affect behaviour?
Abstract
Growing evidence indicates that the mammalian microbiome can affect behaviour, and several symbionts even produce neurotransmitters. One common explanation for these observations is that symbionts have evolved to manipulate host behaviour for their benefit. Here, we evaluate the manipulation hypothesis by applying evolutionary theory to recent work on the gut-brain axis. Although the theory predicts manipulation by symbionts under certain conditions, these appear rarely satisfied by the genetically diverse communities of the mammalian microbiome. Specifically, any symbiont investing its resources to manipulate host behaviour is expected to be outcompeted within the microbiome by strains that do not manipulate and redirect their resources into growth and survival. Moreover, current data provide no clear evidence for manipulation. Instead, we show how behavioural effects can readily arise as a by-product of natural selection on microorganisms to grow within the host and natural selection on hosts to depend upon their symbionts. We argue that understanding why the microbiome influences behaviour requires a focus on microbial ecology and local effects within the host.
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“Johnson and Foster (60) found that the different microbes of the gut microbiota secrete different neurotransmitters: e.g., Bacillus species secrete mainly acetylcholine, dopamine, and norepinephrine, while Escherichia secrete serotonin.”
From Modulation of the gut–brain axis via the gut microbiota: a new era in treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (2023) · cites this paper as [60]
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“It has been proposed that gut bacteria can influence neurobehavior including host appetite for food (135, 137, 182), so it is not implausible to predict associations between microbiota and all substances passing through the gut.”
From A Biopsychosocial Overview of the Opioid Crisis: Considering Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Health (2019) · cites this paper as [137]
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Gut Microbiota and Energy Homeostasis in Fish
Butt, R. L., & Volkoff, H. (2019) · Frontiers in Endocrinology · doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00009 · Cited by 637
Microglia and Central Nervous System–Associated Macrophages—From Origin to Disease Modulation
Prinz, M., Masuda, T., Wheeler, M. A., & Quintana, F. J. (2021) · Annual Review of Immunology · doi:10.1146/annurev-immunol-093019-110159 · Cited by 584
Host–microbiota interactions in immune-mediated diseases
Ruff, W. E., Greiling, T. M., & Kriegel, M. A. (2020) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/s41579-020-0367-2 · Cited by 503
Antibiotics, gut microbiota, and Alzheimer’s disease
Angelucci, F., Cechova, K., Amlerova, J., & Hort, J. (2019) · Journal of Neuroinflammation · doi:10.1186/s12974-019-1494-4 · Cited by 454
Metadata
- Authors
- Johnson, K. V.-A., & Foster, K. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Johnson, Katerina V.-A.
- Foster, Kevin R.
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Microbiology
- Published
- 2018-04-24
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 647-655
- ISSN
- 1740-1526 (ISSN-L)
- 1740-1534
- OpenAlex
- W2801800085
- Cited by
- 333
- References
- 136
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 7
- FWCI
- 3.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nature Reviews Microbiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (1467154)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Keywords
- gut microbiota, host behavior, gut-brain axis, microbial evolution, host-microbe coevolution, microbial competition, host dependence, neurotransmitters, microbial ecology, natural selection
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Communicable Diseases, Biological Evolution, Humans, Mammals, Selection, Genetic, Microbiota
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