Microbes and mental health: Can the microbiome help explain clinical heterogeneity in psychiatry?

•Individual differences in microbiome composition, diversity and function impact health and disease.•Clinical studies provide evidence for a role for the microbiome in psychiatry.•Understanding the microbiome impact on mental health will improve our understanding of heterogeneity in psychiatry. Tril...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in neuroendocrinology 2020-07, Vol.58, p.100849, Article 100849
Main Authors: Hayes, Christina L., Peters, Brett J., Foster, Jane A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anxiety
Gene-environment
Genetic Heterogeneity
Gut-brain
Humans
Individuality
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Mental Disorders - genetics
Mental Disorders - microbiology
Mental Health
Microbiota
Microbiota - genetics
Microbiota - physiology
Mood
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Summary:•Individual differences in microbiome composition, diversity and function impact health and disease.•Clinical studies provide evidence for a role for the microbiome in psychiatry.•Understanding the microbiome impact on mental health will improve our understanding of heterogeneity in psychiatry. Trillions of microbes cover the surfaces of our bodies and inhabit our gastrointestinal tract. In the past decade, research efforts examining the role of the microbiome in mental health have moved to the forefront of neuroscience and psychiatry. Based on a foundation of animal studies demonstrating the vital role for microbiota-brain communication in brain development, behavior, and brain function over the life span, clinical studies have started to consider the microbiome in psychiatric disorders. The composition, diversity and function of commensal microbes is influenced by genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. This review provides an overview of the factors contributing to individual differences in the microbiome, reviews recent work in psychiatric disorders, and considers what is needed to advance a better understanding of how the microbiome impacts mental health which may help us understand the heterogeneity observed in clinical psychiatric populations.
ISSN:0091-3022
1095-6808
DOI:10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100849