The Gut Microbiome and Anxiety

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By Laura Grosh

When people think of organs, they would likely not list the gut microbiome. Increasing research, however, is starting to change this assumption. The gut microbiome is a dynamic collection of microbes that live in our intestinal tract, and we are beginning to see that this microbial community is as integral to our health as the organs that may initially come to mind such as the heart or lungs. One way that the gut microbiome is vital to us in through their connection to our nervous system. Microbes are directly responsible for making neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, integrating them into the nervous system—but the connection between these seemingly separated systems extends beyond this. The vagus nerve connects the brain and the gut, a direct representation of the gut-brain axis. Autonomic, immune, and endocrine responses further complicate and interact with this connection between the gut microbiome and our nervous system. Research has addressed this connection by performing metagenomic analyses on the gut microbiome, studying model organism lacking commensal bacteria, altering the gut microbiome through probiotics or antibiotics, activating or deactivating the vagus nerve, among many other molecular and genomic manipulations Studying this connection, as complicated as it is, is beginning to uncover the implications of the gut microbiome on mental health. The gut microbiome is increasingly believed to facilitate relationships between stress and anxiety, both in direct and indirect ways. This has direct implications on public health and the field of mental health, and could even increase treatment options for anxiety in the future.