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Link between intestinal bacteria, depression found

Scientists from the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute at McMaster University have discovered that intestinal bacteria play an important role in inducing anxiety and depression.

The new study, published in Nature Communications, is the first to explore the role of intestinal microbiota in the altered behavior that is a consequence of early life stress.

“We have shown for the first time in an established mouse model of anxiety and depression that bacteria play a crucial role in inducing this abnormal behaviour,” said Premysl Bercik, senior author of the paper and an associate professor of medicine with McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. “But it’s not only bacteria, it’s the altered bi-directional communication between the stressed host – mice subjected to early life stress – and its microbiota, that leads to anxiety and depression.”

G. De Palma, P. Blennerhassett, J. Lu, Y. Deng, A. J. Park, W. Green, E. Denou, M. A. Silva, A. Santacruz, Y. Sanz, M. G. Surette, E. F. Verdu, S. M. Collins, P. Bercik. Microbiota and host determinants of behavioural phenotype in maternally separated mice. Nature Communications, 2015; 6: 7735 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8735

This study is the first to explore the role of intestinal microbiota in the altered behavior that is a consequence of early life stress. Credit: © Martinan / Fotolia