Mind Altering Gut Microbes: probiotic bacteria may lessen anxiety and depression

[Glynis Steele]

I found this today at Science Daily, thought it might be of interest, it says it lower's the stress-induced hormone, corticosterone.


Mind-Altering Microbes: Probiotic Bacteria May Lessen Anxiety and Depression
ScienceDaily (Aug. 29, 2011) Probiotic bacteria have the potential to alter brain neurochemistry and treat anxiety and depression-related disorders according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


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The research, carried out by Dr Javier Bravo, and Professor John Cryan at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre in University College Cork, along with collaborators from the Brain-Body Institute at McMaster University in Canada, demonstrated that mice fed with Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 showed significantly fewer stress, anxiety and depression-related behaviours than those fed with just broth. Moreover, ingestion of the bacteria resulted in significantly lower levels of the stress-induced hormone, corticosterone.

"This study identifies potential brain targets and a pathway through which certain gut organisms can alter mouse brain chemistry and behaviour. These findings highlight the important role that gut bacteria play in the bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain, the gut-brain axis, and opens up the intriguing opportunity of developing unique microbial-based strategies for treatment for stress-related psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression," said John F. Cryan, senior author on the publication and Professor of Anatomy and Principal Investigator at the Science Foundation Ireland funded Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, at UCC. The APC researchers included Dr Hlne Savignac and Professor Ted Dinan.

The researchers also showed that regular feeding with the Lactobacillus strain caused changes in the expression of receptors for the neurotransmitter GABA in the mouse brain, which is the first time that it has been demonstrated that potential probiotics have a direct effect on brain chemistry in normal situations. The authors also established that the vagus nerve is the main relay between the microbiome (bacteria in the gut) and the brain. This three way communication system is known as the microbiome-gut-brain axis and these findings highlight the important role of bacteria in the communication between the gut and the brain, and suggest that certain probiotic organisms may prove to be useful adjunct therapies in stress-related psychiatric disorders.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829164601.htm

Glynis x

 

[Jenny]

Very interesting Glynis, thanks.

I think Culturelle, which is Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, may have helped me in the past. But I've googled this one and can't find it on sale anywhere. Do you know if this is something we could buy over the counter?

Jenny

 

[Glynis Steele]

Hi Jenny,

Here is a link to Mandymart, which is a site that sells supplements for people with autism. It was set up by a parent who has a child with autism, and she sells lots of supps, and digestive enzymes etc.

http://www.mandimart.co.uk/probiotics-53-c.asp

Glynis x

 

[Jenny]

Thanks Glynis - they don't specify the type of Lactobacillus rhamnosus that's in their products though. May just be the GG type, as in Culturelle, rather than JB-1.

Jenny

 

[Glynis Steele]

Hi Jenny,

Yes the one at Mandymart will be the GG. I would imagine the JB-1 is a strain that is not for sale to the general public. I remember a probiotic study by Glenn Gibson on autistic children in which he used a species of lactobacillus plantarum to very good effect, so I e-mailed him. Unfortunatley the strain was not available, but a related probiotic called 299V was. Never did try it though, as in the email, he did say this strain had not produced the good effect of the strain he had used in the study.

Glynis x

 

[Chris]

Nature's Way probiotic "Primadophilus Reuteri" contains a lot of Lactobacillus rhamnosus HA-111--don't know whether that does any good or not. It also contains a bit of L. reuteri HA-188, It does seem to be helping just a little bit, though who knows what does what in the cocktail I take! Best, Chris

 

[ukxmrv]

I wonder if that is a good thing for PWME and CFS? They are discussing the findings in relation to "stress induced psych disease" and not a neurological disease like us.

I've got low cortisol and that is a common finding in research on CFS. Cortisol can be high in depression so a difference there. Would probably be a bad idea for me to low it further? Not sure how corticosterone relates to these findings of course.

Of course people always argue that cortisol could start out high in ME patients but there is no actual research to back this up. Individual patients vary of course.