Microbiota and the gut–brain axis
Abstract
Changes in gut microbiota can modulate the peripheral and central nervous systems, resulting in altered brain functioning, and suggesting the existence of a microbiota gut-brain axis. Diet can also change the profile of gut microbiota and, thereby, behavior. Effects of bacteria on the nervous system cannot be disassociated from effects on the immune system since the two are in constant bidirectional communication. While the composition of the gut microbiota varies greatly among individuals, alterations to the balance and content of common gut microbes may affect the production of molecules such as neurotransmitters, e.g., gamma amino butyric acid, and the products of fermentation, e.g., the short chain fatty acids butyrate, propionate, and acetate. Short chain fatty acids, which are pleomorphic, especially butyrate, positively influence host metabolism by promoting glucose and energy homeostasis, regulating immune responses and epithelial cell growth, and promoting the functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems. In the future, the composition, diversity, and function of specific probiotics, coupled with similar, more detailed knowledge about gut microbiota, will potentially help in developing more effective diet- and drug-based therapies.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The ANS provides the gut with the most direct neurological response available, leading to rapid changes in gut physiology, through innervation of the target organ, in both health and disease.
“The ANS provides the gut with the most direct neurological response available, leading to rapid changes in gut physiology, through innervation of the target organ, in both health and disease (Bienenstock et al., 2015)”
From The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis (2019) · cites this paper as Bienenstock et al., 2015
Cites
Smith, P. M., Howitt, M. R., Panikov, N., Michaud, M., Gallini, C. A., Bohlooly-Y, M., Glickman, J. N., & Garrett, W. S. (2013) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1241165 · Cited by 5,413 · see citing works
Normal gut microbiota modulates brain development and behavior
Heijtz, R. D., Wang, S., Anuar, F., Qian, Y., Björkholm, B., Samuelsson, A., Hibberd, M. L., Forssberg, H., & Pettersson, S. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1010529108 · Cited by 3,228 · see citing works
The interplay between the intestinal microbiota and the brain
Collins, S. M., Surette, M., & Bercik, P. (2012) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro2876 · Cited by 1,611 · see citing works
Messaoudi, M., Lalonde, R., Violle, N., Javelot, H., Desor, D., Nejdi, A., Bisson, J.-F., Rougeot, C., Pichelin, M., Cazaubiel, M., et al. (2011) · British Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s0007114510004319 · Cited by 1,324 · see citing works
Rao, A. V., Bested, A. C., Beaulne, T. M., Katzman, M. A., Iorio, C., Berardi, J. M., & Logan, A. C. (2009) · Gut Pathogens · doi:10.1186/1757-4749-1-6 · Cited by 577 · see citing works
Ochoa-Repáraz, J., Mielcarz, D. W., Ditrio, L. E., Burroughs, A. R., Begum-Haque, S., Dasgupta, S., Kasper, D. L., & Kasper, L. H. (2010) · The Journal of Immunology · doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1001443 · Cited by 367 · see citing works
Propionate. Anti-obesity and satiety enhancing factor?
Arora, T., Sharma, R., & Frost, G. (2011) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2011.01.016 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Mao, Y.-K., Kasper, D. L., Wang, B., Forsythe, P., Bienenstock, J., & Kunze, W. A. (2013) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/ncomms2478 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Cryan, J. F., O'Riordan, K. J., Cowan, C. S. M., Sandhu, K. V., Bastiaanssen, T. F. S., Boehme, M., Codagnone, M. G., Cussotto, S., Fulling, C., Golubeva, A. V., et al. (2019) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00018.2018 · Cited by 5,286 · see citing works
Fröhlich, E. E., Farzi, A., Mayerhofer, R., Reichmann, F., Jačan, A., Wagner, B., Zinser, E., Bordag, N., Magnes, C., Fröhlich, E., et al. (2016) · Brain Behavior and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2016.02.020 · Cited by 720 · see citing works
Sochocka, M., Donskow-Łysoniewska, K., Diniz, B. S., Kurpas, D., Brzozowska, E., & Leszek, J. (2019) · Molecular Neurobiology · doi:10.1007/s12035-018-1188-4 · Cited by 584 · see citing works
Role of gut microbiota and nutrients in amyloid formation and pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease
Pistollato, F., Sumalla Cano, S., Elio, I., Masias Vergara, M., Giampieri, F., & Battino, M. (2016) · Nutrition Reviews · doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuw023 · Cited by 496 · see citing works
The Gut Microbiota and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Li, Q., Han, Y., Dy, A. B. C., & Hagerman, R. J. (2017) · Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fncel.2017.00120 · Cited by 462 · see citing works
The role of the microbiome for human health: From basic science to clinical applications
Mohajeri, M. H., Brummer, R. J. M., Rastall, R. A., Weersma, R. K., Harmsen, H. J. M., Faas, M., & Eggersdorfer, M. (2018) · European Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.1007/s00394-018-1703-4 · Cited by 440 · see citing works
The link between inflammation, bugs, the intestine and the brain in alcohol dependence
Leclercq, S., de Timary, P., Delzenne, N. M., & Stärkel, P. (2017) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/tp.2017.15 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
Microbiome and nutrition in autism spectrum disorder: Current knowledge and research needs
Berding, K., & Donovan, S. M. (2016) · Nutrition Reviews · doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuw048 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Sawada, D., Kuwano, Y., Tanaka, H., Hara, S., Uchiyama, Y., Sugawara, T., Fujiwara, S., Rokutan, K., & Nishida, K. (2019) · Journal of Functional Foods · doi:10.1016/j.jff.2019.04.022 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Val-Laillet, D., Besson, M., Guérin, S., Coquery, N., Randuineau, G., Kanzari, A., Quesnel, H., Bonhomme, N., Bolhuis, J. E., Kemp, B., et al. (2017) · The FASEB Journal · doi:10.1096/fj.201601015r · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Gut–Brain Axis in Regulation of Blood Pressure
Yang, T., & Zubcevic, J. (2017) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00845 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Zhang, N., Zhang, Y., Li, M., Wang, W., Liu, Z., Xi, C., Huang, X., Liu, J., Huang, J., Tian, D., et al. (2020) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.1699 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Cheng, H.-W., Jiang, S., & Hu, J. (2019) · Oral Health by Using Probiotic Products · doi:10.5772/intechopen.86775 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
- Authors
- Bienenstock, J., Kunze, W., & Forsythe, P.
- Affiliations
- St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (CA)
- Venue
- Nutrition Reviews
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2015-07-14
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- suppl 1
- Pages
- 28-31
- ISSN
- 0029-6643 (ISSN-L)
- 1753-4887
- OpenAlex
- W2171351284
- Cited by
- 234
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 2.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nutrition Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Danone
- Instituto Danone
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Keywords
- gut microbiota, gut-brain axis, diet, behavior, immune system, neurotransmitters, GABA, short-chain fatty acids, butyrate, probiotics, energy homeostasis, host-microbe interactions
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Brain, Energy Metabolism, Humans, Probiotics, Gastrointestinal Tract, Host-Pathogen Interactions
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
