Recent developments in understanding the role of the gut microbiota in brain health and disease
Open accessAbstract
There is a growing appreciation of the role of the gut microbiota in all aspects of health and disease, including brain health. Indeed, roles for the bacterial commensals in various psychiatric and neurological conditions, such as depression, autism, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease, are emerging. Microbiota dysregulation has been documented in all of these conditions or in animal models thereof. Moreover, depletion or modulation of the gut microbiota can affect the severity of the central pathology or behavioral deficits observed in a variety of brain disorders. However, the mechanisms underlying such effects are only slowly being unraveled. Additionally, recent preclinical and clinical evidence suggest that targeting the microbiota through prebiotic, probiotic, or dietary interventions may be an effective "psychobiotic" strategy for treating symptoms in mood, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Several bacterial strains can modify levels of neurotransmitter precursors in the gut lumen and even independently synthesize or modulate the synthesis of neurotransmitters including GABA, serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline.
“several bacterial strains can modify levels of neurotransmitter precursors in the gut lumen and even independently synthesize (or modulate the synthesis of) a number of neurotransmitters, including γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and noradrenaline (NA) (16–18).”
From The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids From Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication (2020) · cites this paper as [16]
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- Authors
- Sherwin, E., Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F.
- Affiliations
- University College Cork (IE)
- Corresponding author
- Cryan, John F.
- Venue
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-08-02
- Volume
- 1420
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 5-25
- ISSN
- 0077-8923 (ISSN-L)
- 1749-6632
- OpenAlex
- W2740091076
- Cited by
- 338
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 11
- FWCI
- 3.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- zenodo.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Enterprise Ireland
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
- Science Foundation Ireland (07/CE/BI368, 12/RC/2273)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Keywords
- gut microbiota, brain health, mental illness, depression, autism spectrum disorder, stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, dysbiosis, psychobiotics, probiotics, prebiotics, dietary intervention, neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Aging, Brain, Humans, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Probiotics, Prebiotics, Dysbiosis, Neurodevelopmental Disorders
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