Could the key to relieve anxiety in our entrails? The scientists of the Duke-Nus School of Medicine and the National Institute of Neuroscience have discovered a crucial connection between intestinal microbes and anxiety-related behavior. Your research, published today in Molecular Medicine EmboHe suggests that microbial metabolites, specifically indoles, play a direct role in the regulation of brain activity linked to anxiety. This finding opens exciting possibilities for new probiotic -based therapies to improve mental health.
The prevalence of mental health disorders has increased over the years. According to the latest national study, 1 in 7 people in Singapore have experienced a mental health disorder, which includes depressive and anxiety disorders.[1]. In 2019, mental health disorders were one of the four main causes of disease charge in Singapore[2].
The research team set out to investigate the role played by microbes in anxious behavior. In preclinical studies, scientists observed that in a germ free environment, those who were not exposed to living microbes, showed significantly more behavior related to anxiety than those with living microbes typical of residents.
A greater investigation revealed that the increase in anxiety was associated with greater activity in a brain region involved in the processing of emotions such as fear and anxiety, the basolateral tonsil (Bla). This was even more related to specialized proteins within the brain cells known as calcium -dependent SK2 channels, associated with anxiety behavior. Under conditions in which the body and brain are exposed to live microbes metabolites, sk2 channels act like a clutch, preventing neurons from getting excited too much and shooting too often.
The associated professor Shawn Je of the Duke-Nus behavior disorders and one of the main authors, explained:
“Our findings reveal the specific and intricate neuronal process that unites microbes with mental health. Those without living microbes showed higher levels of anxious behavior than those with living bacteria. Essentially, the lack of these microbes interrupted the way their brains , particularly in areas that control fear and anxiety, which leads to anxious behavior. “
To better understand the role of microbes in this process, researchers introduced live microbes in germs without germs[3]. This reduced high neuronal activity in the basolateral tonsil and, therefore, the activity of the SK2 channel. As a result, the mice showed significantly less related behavior to anxiety: their emotional responses became those exposed to microbes.
The researchers also tested the treatment with indoles, microbial metabolites produced by certain microbes. When germs free mice received indoles, they showed a reduced activity in the basolateral tonsil and showed less behavior related to anxiety. This showed that our indigenous microbes produce metabolites, which suggest a direct link between our microbiota and the maintenance of mental balance.
Professor Sven Pettersson of the Research Department, National Institute of Neuroscience of Singapore, who is also the lead author of the study, he said:
“Establishing signs of hunger and controlling hunger is an evolutionarily preserved defense mechanism. Physiological change at birth can be seen as an important first wave of exposure to anxiety for the newborn, which simply says:” If you don’t eat, you, you, you You, you, you, you will die. “In addition, birth is associated with exposure to breast milk, which is known to contain microbes that can produce molecules known as indoles. It is known that indoles are secreted in plants when they are exposed to stress or malnutrition (draft) and In this document we report a similar mechanism in which indoles can regulate anxiety levels in mammals.
The implications of these observations are multiple: for example, it is opened for the therapeutic potential of directing the axis of the intestinal brain to treat anxiety -related disorders when restoring the composition of microbes through dietary supplementation with indoles or introducing intestinal microbes Indol producers as probiotics. “In other words, it is opened by custom therapies in line with the precision medicine of the 21st century. Studies such as this illustrate the close hereditary relationship that exists between our indigenous microbes and the greatest complexity of life,” concludes Pettersson.
Professor Patrick Tan, senior vice president of research at Duke-Nus, said:
“Our findings underline the deep evolutionary links between microbes, nutrition and brain function. This has great potential for people who suffer from stress related conditions, such as sleep disorders or those who cannot tolerate standard psychiatric medications. It is a reminder of That mental health is not only in the brain, it is also in the intestine. “
The team now expects to explore clinical trials to determine if the probiotics or indole -based supplements can be used effectively in humans as a natural anxiety treatment. If you succeed, this could mark the beginning of a new era in mental health care, one in which intestinal microbes help keep our minds comfortable.
[1] Mental Health Institute, Singapore Mental Health Study
[2] Ministry of Health October 28, 2020 Global Burden of Nursing 2019 Study Findings https://www.m. De-Disease-2019 Study-Findings
[3] The study was conducted according to the National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animals (Naclar).