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Probiotics drive gut microbiome triggering emotional brain signatures
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study by Bagga et al. (2018), the authors examined the effect of introducing a probiotic supplement on the gut microbiome, cognitive and emotional behavior, and cerebral function, in a population of 45 healthy individuals (20 – 40 years old). The participants were divided into three groups (placebo, probiotic, no intervention) and had their emotional decision-making and emotional recognition memory evaluated for the duration of the intervention (four weeks) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In addition, the participants submitted self-reported questionnaires and stool samples to examine their gut microbiome. Analysis of the results revealed that probiotic supplementation leads to substantial enhancements in self-reported positive affect, cognitive reactivity, emotional memory, emotional decision-making, modulated brain activity, and shifted intestinal microbiome composition. The authors comment that their results provide novel evidence of the impact of probiotics on neural, behavioral, and microbiome aspects of the physiology of healthy adults, which presents the necessity of further research to investigate the contributions of the gut microbiota to health and the use of probiotic interventions for therapeutic gains. [NPID: Emotional decision, behavior, fMRI, microbiome, probiotics, recognition, memory, stool]
Year: 2018
