Gut microbes and behavior

Alterations in the interactions between the gut microbiome, its metabolites, and the brain have been implicated in numerous brain disorders, including developmental disorders, disorders of mood and affect, neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune conditions, eating disorders and functional gastrointestinal disorders. The specific components of brain gut microbiome disorders include disturbances of the microbial community and metabolite production, altered bidirectional signaling from the gut microbes to the brain and associated alterations in brain structure and function. These disruptions are correlated with the severity of clinical symptoms and disease progression in human and mouse models. Novel therapies are being directed at targets within the brain gut microbiome axis and include prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics, antibiotics, and fecal microbiota transplants.