The DOI matches its Crossref record; 65 of the 65 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Brain-Gut-Microbiota Axis and Mental Health
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The brain-gut-microbiota axis has been put forward as a new paradigm in neuroscience, which may be of relevance to mental illness. The mechanisms of signal transmission in the brain-gut-microbiota axis are complex and involve bidirectional communications that enable gut microbes to communicate with the brain and the brain to communicate with the microbes. This review assesses the potential usefulness and limitations of the paradigm. METHODS: A selective literature review was conducted to evaluate the current knowledge in clinical and preclinical brain-gut-microbiota interactions as related to psychiatric disorders. RESULTS: Most published studies in the field are preclinical, and there is so far a lack of clinical studies. Preliminary studies in psychiatric populations support the view of a dysbiosis in some conditions, but studies are often small scale and marred by potential confounding variables. Preclinical studies support the view that psychobiotics ("bacteria which when ingested in adequate amounts have a positive mental health benefit") might be of use in treating some patients with mental health difficulties. To date, we have no well-conducted studies in clinical populations, although there are some studies in healthy volunteers. A cocktail of probiotics has been shown to alter brain activity as monitored by functional magnetic resonance imaging, and Bifidobacterium longum was reported to alter brain electrical activity. CONCLUSIONS: It has yet to be convincingly demonstrated that the exciting findings of psychobiotic efficacy demonstrated in preclinical models of psychiatric illness will translate to patients.
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“Alterations in the gut microbiota of individuals with ASD, including imbalances in the abundance of Gram-negative bacteria involved in sulfur metabolism, such as an increased presence of Bilophila and a decreased abundance of Desulfovibrio, may affect the availability of sulfur metabolites and disrupt the biochemical homeostasis of the body [17,18].”
From The Gut–Brain–Microbiota Connection and Its Role in Autism Spectrum Disorders (2025) · cites this paper as [17]
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Self-citationHsiao, E. Y., McBride, S. W., Hsien, S., Sharon, G., Hyde, E. R., McCue, T., Codelli, J. A., Chow, J., Reisman, S. E., Petrosino, J. F., et al. (2013) · Cell · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2013.11.024 · Cited by 3,283
Altered fecal microbiota composition in patients with major depressive disorder
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Self-citationPrinciples and clinical implications of the brain-gut-enteric microbiota axis
Rhee, S. H., Pothoulakis, C., & Mayer, E. A. (2009) · Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology · doi:10.1038/nrgastro.2009.35 · Cited by 1,342
Psychobiotics: A novel class of psychotropic
Dinan, T. G., Stanton, C., & Cryan, J. F. (2013) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.001 · Cited by 1,287
Self-citationConsumption of fermented milk product with probiotic modulates brain activity
Tillisch, K., Labus, J., Kilpatrick, L., Jiang, Z., Stains, J., Ebrat, B., Guyonnet, D., Legrain–Raspaud, S., Trotin, B., Naliboff, B., et al. (2013) · Gastroenterology · doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2013.02.043 · Cited by 1,192
Microbial reconstitution reverses maternal diet-induced social and synaptic deficits in offspring
Buffington, S. A., Di Prisco, G. V., Auchtung, T. A., Ajami, N. J., Petrosino, J. F., & Costa-Mattioli, M. (2016) · Cell · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.06.001 · Cited by 1,163
The microbiome-gut-brain axis in health and disease
Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2017) · Gastroenterology Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.gtc.2016.09.007 · Cited by 1,111
Self-citationMicrobiota and neurodevelopmental windows: implications for brain disorders
Borre, Y. E., O’Keeffe, G. W., Clarke, G., Stanton, C., Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2014) · Trends in Molecular Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2014.05.002 · Cited by 1,089
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The gut microbiota in anxiety and depression—A systematic review
Simpson, C. A., Diaz-Arteche, C., Eliby, D., Schwartz, O. S., Simmons, J. G., & Cowan, C. S. M. (2021) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101943 · Cited by 912
A Comprehensive Review on the Role of the Gut Microbiome in Human Neurological Disorders
Sorboni, S. G., Moghaddam, H. S., Esfehani, R. J., & Soleimanpour, S. (2022) · Clinical Microbiology Reviews · doi:10.1128/cmr.00338-20 · Cited by 586
Bennett, J. M., Reeves, G., Billman, G. E., & Sturmberg, J. P. (2018) · Frontiers in Medicine · doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00316 · Cited by 531
The Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis in Psychiatric Disorders
Góralczyk-Bińkowska, A., Szmajda‐Krygier, D., & Kozłowska, E. (2022) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms231911245 · Cited by 569
Gut microbiota and major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Sanada, K., Nakajima, S., Kurokawa, S., Barceló-Soler, A., Ikuse, D., Hirata, A., Yoshizawa, A., Tomizawa, Y., Salas-Valero, M., Noda, Y., et al. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.102 · Cited by 372
Metadata
- Authors
- Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F.
- Affiliations
- University College Cork (IE)
- Corresponding author
- Dinan, Timothy G.
- Venue
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Published
- 2017-10
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 920-926
- ISSN
- 0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
- 1534-7796
- OpenAlex
- W2743330831
- Cited by
- 325
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 46 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 2.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Keywords
- brain-gut-microbiota axis, gut microbiota, mental health, mental illness, dysbiosis, psychobiotics, probiotics, Bifidobacterium longum, two-way communication, functional MRI, brain electrical activity
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Animals, Mental Disorders, Brain, Humans, Signal Transduction, Probiotics, Dysbiosis
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