[ad_1]
New Belgian research reveals a link between specific types of intestinal bacteria and depression. The results, published in the journal Microbiology of nature, also provide evidence that a large number of intestinal bacteria can produce neuroactive compounds.
The researchers have described it as the first population-level study on the link between intestinal bacteria and mental health, gathering data from hundreds of people rather than studying animals or animals. clinical trial subjects.
For the study, researchers from VIB-KU Leuven (Flemish Institute of Biotechnology) in Belgium compared faecal microbiome data with the diagnosis of depression reported by the general practitioners of 1,054 people enrolled in the Flemish project Gut Flora.
Through this badysis, they were able to identify specific groups of microorganisms that positively or negatively correlate with mental health. They discovered that two bacterial genera, Coprocoque and Dialister, were systematically depleted in people with depression, regardless of antidepressant treatment.
The results were confirmed in an independent cohort of 1,063 individuals from the Dutch LifeLinesDEEP cohort and in a cohort of clinically depressed patients from university hospitals in Leuven, Belgium.
"The relationship between intestinal microbial metabolism and mental health is a controversial topic in microbiome research," said Professor Jeroen Raes of VIB-KU Leuven, director of the study.
"The notion that microbial metabolites can interact with our brain – and therefore with our behavior and feelings – is intriguing, but intestinal communication between the microbiome and the brain has been primarily explored in animal models, with human research delay. In our population-level study, we identified several groups of bacteria that co-varied with human depression and quality of life. "
In previous research, the team identified a microbial community constellation or enterotype, characterized by low microbial counts and biodiversity, more prevalent among Crohn's disease patients. In the new study, they surprisingly discovered that a similar type of community was linked to depression and a reduced quality of life.
"This finding adds additional evidence indicating the potentially dysbiotic nature of the Bacteroides2 enterotype that we identified earlier. Apparently, microbial communities that may be linked to intestinal inflammation and reduced well-being share a common set of characteristics, "said Raes.
The research team has also developed a computer technique to identify intestinal bacteria that may interact with the human nervous system.
They studied the genomes of more than 500 isolated bacteria of the human gastrointestinal tract and their ability to produce a set of neuroactive compounds, thus creating the first catalog of neuroactivity of intestinal species. Some bacteria have been found to carry a wide range of these functions.
"Many neuroactive compounds are produced in the human gut. We wanted to see what intestinal microbes might be involved in the production, degradation or modification of these molecules, "said researcher and first author, Mireia Valles-Colomer, PhD student at Raes Lab.
"Our toolbox not only helps identify the different bacteria that may play a role in mental health issues, but also the mechanisms potentially involved in this interaction with the host," she said. .
"For example, we found that the ability of microorganisms to produce DOPAC, a metabolite of the human neurotransmitter, dopamine, was badociated with a better quality of mental life."
The results result from bioinformatic badyzes and will have to be confirmed experimentally. However, the results will help guide and accelerate future research on the human brain microbiome.
Source: VIB
Related Articles
Source link
