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The gut microbiome and mental health: Implications for anxiety- and trauma-related disorders
While many have long believed that studying the brain would confirm the neurobiological mechanisms involved in anxiety- and trauma-related disorders, this 2018 article argues that the microbial community that lives in the gut (microbiota) and its interactions may deserve more attention when investigating brain disorders and developing novel treatments and diagnostics. In animal studies, the gut microbiome has been suggested to play a role in the anxiety- and trauma-related disorders. The evidence implies that the microbiome is influential in the relationship between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands from early life, and in stress reactivity over a person’s entire lifespan. This review specifically highlights the emerging findings of microbiome research in anxiety- and trauma-related disorders and discusses the gut microbiome as a potential therapeutic target. Considering the other factors that alter the gut microbiome can provide a holistic view of the complex connections that exist within the microbiota-gut-brain axis. This realm of biological psychiatry and postgenomic medicine should be welcomed by the mental health community since it can contribute to the transformation of integrative and holistic health research over the next ten years. [NPID: brain, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, traumatic, microbes, microbiome, gut, intestines, microbiota, microbiota–gut–brain axis, mental health, stress-related disorders]
Year: 2018
