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Multispecies probiotic administration reduces emotional salience and improves mood in subjects with moderate depression: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Although probiotics have been proposed to have antidepressant effects, their impact on emotional processing—an underlying factor in mood disorders—remains unclear. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial by Baião et al. (2023), 71 individuals with depression participated to assess the effects of a 4-week daily intake of a multispecies probiotic compared to a placebo. Researchers evaluated mood, anxiety, emotional responses, sleep, salivary cortisol, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels both before and after supplementation. The probiotic group demonstrated an improved ability to recognize facial expressions of various emotions and showed heightened attention to neutral faces compared to the placebo group. However, the probiotic also led to reductions in reward learning and memory for interference words, with no other significant changes in cognitive function. Although an interaction was found between group and nighttime activity via actigraphy, follow-up testing did not confirm a significant effect. Probiotic intake had no impact on cortisol or CRP levels. Importantly, depression scores decreased by 50% in the probiotic group, but these mood improvements did not align with the observed changes in emotional processing. In summary, the study found that probiotics influence emotional perception in a manner distinct from traditional antidepressants, suggesting a unique mechanism worthy of further investigation. [NPID: Bifidobacteria, emotional memory, Lactobacilli, mood disorder]
Year: 2023
