The Gut-Brain Axis and OCD

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Introduction

This illustration depicts a three-dimensional (3D), computer-generated image, of a group of Gram-positive, Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus) bacteria. The photo credit for this image belongs to Alissa Eckert, who is a medical illustrator at the CDC.

By Ali Hatfield

The systems of the human body are connected in many more ways than the average person could think of. At first thought the digestive system, commonly referred to as the human gut, is deeply separated from the nervous system. However, recent research has shown that this is not the case, and there are many more connections between the two than most would imagine. Studies have shown correlations between human gut microbial activity having an effect on psychological well-being, either improving or declining mental health. In cases with a direct connection between gut microbiome and brain activity, this is known as the gut-brain axis. This communication from bowel to brain is bidirectional, with interference in the gut microbiome having the ability to alter the nervous system, and interference with the nervous system having the ability to alter gut activity.

The gut microbiome can affect a variety of psychological disorders, one of which being obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is an anxiety related disorder that is believed to affect about 1-3% of the population, yet the number of diagnoses is hard to perfect in the case of psychological conditions. It is reportedly more frequently found in women than in men in adults (age >18) and more frequently found in boys than girls (age <18). Like many psychological disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder is a condition that displays a wide range of symptoms and manifests itself differently in each person afflicted by the disorder.

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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

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