SynthesisBMC psychiatry2020
Effect of fecal microbiota transplant on symptoms of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 141 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
141 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 237 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurobiological effects of microbial treatments within psychiatry: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Emerging therapeutic approaches for Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders - a systematic review of current clinical trials.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Clinical efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation in alleviating depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Microbiota in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Systematic review of probiotics as an adjuvant treatment for psychiatric disorders.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- The Safety, Efficacy, and Feasibility of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in a Population With Bipolar Disorder During Depressive Episodes: A Pilot Parallel Arm Randomized Controlled Trial: Sécurité, efficacité et faisabilité de la transplantation de microbiote fécal chez une population atteinte de troubles bipolaires, au cours d'épisodes dépressifs : essai pilote contrôlé à répartition aléatoire et à groupes parallèles.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2026Trial
- A study on the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation as an adjunctive therapy for treating depressive episodes.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Encapsulated faecal microbiota transfer in young women with anorexia nervosa: an open-label feasibility pilot trial.Nature communications · 2025Trial
- Gut bacteria and their metabolites may influence our decisions, intelligence, cognition, and consciousness.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota-targeted interventions for depression in adolescents and young adults: Mechanisms, evidence strength and clinical strategies-A narrative review.General psychiatry · 2026Review
- Targeting the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Emerging Nanomedicine Approaches for Neurodegenerative Diseases.The European journal of neuroscience · 2026Review
- Unraveling the gut microbiota-brain axis: Mechanisms, pathophysiology, and therapeutic opportunities.iScience · 2026Review
- Review
- The Gut-Brain Axis in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: From Biological Mechanisms to Microbiome-Based Therapeutic Strategies-A Narrative Review.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- The root rhizosphere as a functional analog to the gut microbiome: Cases for microbial symbiosis and dysbiosis in parallel contexts.PNAS nexus · 2026Review
- Psychobiotics and the microbiota-gut-brain axis: Emerging paradigms in mental health modulation.Experimental physiology · 2026Review
- Cross-Organ Neuroimmunology of Behavior.Annual review of immunology · 2026Review
- The aging gut-glia-immune axis in alzheimer's disease: microbiome-derived mediators of neuroinflammation and therapeutic innovation.GeroScience · 2026Review
- A human-derived Bacteroides strain attenuates depressive-like behavior in a rat model of social defeat-induced stress.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Nutritional Management of Schizophrenia: Gut-Brain Axis Mechanisms and Dietary Interventions.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
81 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe Gut-Brain-Axis is a bidirectional signaling pathway between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the brain. The hundreds of trillions of microorganisms populating the gastrointestinal tract are thought to modulate this connection, and have far reaching effects on the immune system, central and autonomic nervous systems, and GI functioning. These interactions Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders have also been linked to various psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, autism spectrum disorder, and eating disorders. It is hypothesized that techniques aimed at strengthening and repopulating the gut microbiome, such as Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT), may be useful in the prevention and treatment of psychiatric illnesses.
methodsA systematic search of five databases was conducted using key terms related to FMT and psychiatric illnesses. All results were then evaluated based on specific eligibility criteria.
resultsTwenty-one studies met the eligibility criteria and were analysed for reported changes in mood and behavioural measures indicative of psychiatric wellbeing. The studies included were either entirely clinical (n = 8), preclinical with human donors (n = 9), or entirely preclinical (n = 11). All studies found a decrease in depressive and anxiety-like symptoms and behaviours resulting from the transplantation of healthy microbiota. The inverse was also found, with the transmission of depressive and anxiety-like symptoms and behaviours resulting from the transplantation of microbiota from psychiatrically ill donors to healthy recipients.
conclusionThere appears to be strong evidence for the treatment and transmission of psychiatric illnesses through FMT. Further research with larger sample sizes and stronger scientific design is warranted in order to fully determine the efficacy and safety of this potential treatment. Registered on PROSPERO, IRD: CRD42019126795.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.