Psychobiotics and the Manipulation of Bacteria–Gut–Brain Signals
University of Oxford · University of Eastern Finland · +2 more institutions
Abstract
Psychobiotics were previously defined as live bacteria (probiotics) which, when ingested, confer mental health benefits through interactions with commensal gut bacteria. We expand this definition to encompass prebiotics, which enhance the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. We review probiotic and prebiotic effects on emotional, cognitive, systemic, and neural variables relevant to health and disease. We discuss gut-brain signalling mechanisms enabling psychobiotic effects, such as metabolite production. Overall, knowledge of how the microbiome responds to exogenous influence remains limited. We tabulate several important research questions and issues, exploration of which will generate both mechanistic…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 30.29
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 163
Authors
6Topics & keywords
- Prebiotic
- Gut microbiome
- Microbiome
- Probiotic
- Biology
- Gut flora
- Gut bacteria
- Neuroscience