KORN KURATED RESEARCH

Psychobiotics Can Enhance Mood and Cognitive Performance

The research on psychobiotics represents a promising intersection of microbiology and neuroscience. This narrative review explores how psychobiotics interact with the gut-brain axis, highlighting their potential impact on mood, cognition, and stress response, with implications for conditions like depression, anxiety, and neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.

Psychobiotics is the new term of reference for probiotics, recognized as having a beneficial effect on cognition and mood, helping with conditions like anxiety and depression. I often say that when there is mental distress, there is always digestive distress; fix digestion and mood will improve. 

Stress, alcohol, and antibiotics are the main culprits that alter beneficial gut bacteria. These papers all provide superb overviews of these beneficial bacteria, the gut-brain axis, and the HPA stress axis, and each has a different nugget to chew on.

Our ancestors have long understood the benefits of fermentation, and encouraging our clients to eat fermented foods leads to improved outcomes. Fermenting foods at home also provides valuable science and culinary lessons for children. While exploring fermented foods, don’t forget to examine the role of postbiotics, produced by the metabolic activity of probiotics, resulting in short-chain fatty acids like butyrate.

Tags: Psychobiotics, probiotics, mental health, gut-brain axis, gut microbiome

Interested in Learning More?

• Course(s): PTSD, Complex Trauma, and Traumatic Brain Injury
• Course(s): Mental Health Disorders
• Book(s): Nutrition Essentials For Mental Health

Referenced Research Publications

Medicina
2024, April 05
DOI: 10.3390/medicina60040601

A Narrative Review of Psychobiotics: Probiotics That Influence the Gut-Brain Axis

link: https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/60/4/601

Abstract

Mental health disorders and dementia have become a serious public health concern, with a heightened frequency of diagnoses observed in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Psychobiotics, a novel area of research at the intersection of microbiology and neuroscience, explore the potential of probiotics to influence the nervous system and mental health outcomes. This review explores the intricate mechanisms by which psychobiotics interact with the gut–brain axis, shedding light on their effects on mood, cognition, and the stress response. Through a comprehensive analysis of the current literature and recent advancements, we discuss the therapeutic potential of psychobiotics in various mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. The findings from this research highlight the promising potential of psychobiotics as innovative interventions in mental health treatment. Further investigation into their mechanisms of action and clinical applications is warranted to fully realize their therapeutic benefits.

Reference

Ķimse, L., Reinis, A., Miķelsone-Jansone, L., Gintere, S., Krūmiņa, A. (2024). A Narrative Review of Psychobiotics: Probiotics That Influence the Gut-Brain Axis. Medicina 60(4), 601.
https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60040601

Trends in neurosciences
2016, October 25
DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2016.09.002

Psychobiotics and the Manipulation of Bacteria–Gut–Brain Signals

link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102282/

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 signaling 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 insights and facilitate future psychobiotic development. We suggest the definition of psychobiotics be expanded beyond probiotics and prebiotics to include other means of influencing the microbiome.

Reference

Sarkar, A., Lehto, S. M., Harty, S., Dinan, T. G., Cryan, J. F., & Burnet, P. W. J. (2016). Psychobiotics and the Manipulation of Bacteria-Gut-Brain Signals. Trends in neurosciences, 39(11), 763–781.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2016.09.002