Gut bacteria influences anxiety-like behavior
In 2011, researchers at McMaster University found that ‘cross-talk’ between the brain and bacteria in the gut (intestinal microbiota) plays an important role in the development of psychiatric illness. Published in Neurogastroenterology and Motility, the study (which was conducted using germ-free mice) shows that intestinal microbiota influences anxiety-like behavior by altering the way the brain is wired. Science Daily explains:
The study’s results show that genes linked to learning and memory are altered in germ-free mice and, in particular, they are altered in one of the key brain regions for learning and memory – the hippocampus.
This discovery is exciting because it could lead to new treatment alternatives for patients with psychiatric disorders – decreasing dependence on drug therapies. As researcher Jane Foster, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, notes:
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