They had previously identified gut bacteria more common in patients with Crohn’s disease. The team of Jeroen Raes, professor of microbiology at the Belgian university KU Leuven, this time discovered connections between certain bacteria in the gut and the probability of suffering from depression. In a published study in the review Nature Microbiology this Monday, February 4, the researchers explain how they studied the correlation between the microbiota, that is to say of all the microorganisms of the belly, and the Mental Health.
To do this, they analyzed stool samples from more than 1,000 participants. However, they observed that two families of bacteria were systematically less numerous in depressed people, including those on antidepressants. These are the Coprococcus and Dialogue, known for their anti-inflammatory properties. “We also know that inflammation of nervous tissue plays an important role in depression. So our hypothesis is that the two are related in one way or another ”, explains Jeroen Raes, cited by the Journal of Quebec.
Links between the gut and the brain
While the study does not show a cause and effect link between the quantity of these bacteria and depression, it allows us to take a step forward in understanding the links between the gut and the brain. These are only in their infancy, according to the professor. Corn “The idea that substances resulting from the metabolism of microbes can interact with our brain (and therefore with our behavior and feelings) is intriguing”, he continues.
Thanks to the analysis of the genome of more than 500 intestinal bacteria, the researchers were able to establish a “catalog” of substances that can impact our brain and our nervous system. For example, the ability of the microbiota to produce 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid or more simply DOPAC (resulting from the degradation of dopamine) would be associated with better mental health.
Currently, scientists remind us, antidepressants are among the most prescribed drugs in many countries. This research could therefore pave the way for new types of drugs for this pathology. “I really think it’s a way of the future: using mixtures from bacteria as a treatment”, he believes.
Read also :
- Genetics influence bacteria in our gut
- Depression: what if you lacked dopamine?
- The intestinal microbiota involved in Alzheimer’s disease
