Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33008395›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroinflammation2020

Associations between gut microbiota and Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia.

Zhenhuang Zhuang, Ruotong Yang, Wenxiu Wang, Lu Qi, Tao Huang

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroinflammation, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 118 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
118citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
7.8field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

118 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 216 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Causal links among gut microbiota, immune-inflammatory and compensatory immune-regulatory systems, and schizophrenia.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
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  19. Serum Zonulin Levels in Patients with Heroin Addiction.Sisli Etfal Hastanesi tip bulteni · 2026
    Article
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58 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.

Zhenhuang ZhuangDepartment of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China.
Ruotong YangDepartment of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China.
Wenxiu WangDepartment of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China.
Lu QiDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA. lqi1@tulane.edu.
Tao HuangDepartment of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China. huangtaotao@pku.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0328-1368
Peking University · CNTulane University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGrowing evidence has shown that alterations in the gut microbiota composition were associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions. However, whether such associations reflect causality remains unknown. We aimed to reveal the causal relationships among gut microbiota, metabolites, and neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia (SCZ).

methodsA two-sample bi-directional Mendelian randomization analysis was performed by using genetic variants from genome-wide association studies as instrumental variables for gut microbiota, metabolites, AD, MDD, and SCZ, respectively.

resultsWe found suggestive associations of host-genetic-driven increase in Blautia (OR, 0.88; 95%CI, 0.79-0.99; P = 0.028) and elevated γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (0.96; 0.92-1.00; P = 0.034), a downstream product of Blautia-dependent arginine metabolism, with a lower risk of AD. Genetically increased Enterobacteriaceae family and Enterobacteriales order were potentially associated with a higher risk of SCZ (1.09; 1.00-1.18; P = 0.048), while Gammaproteobacteria class (0.90; 0.83-0.98; P = 0.011) was related to a lower risk for SCZ. Gut production of serotonin was potentially associated with an increased risk of SCZ (1.07; 1.00-1.15; P = 0.047). Furthermore, genetically increased Bacilli class was related to a higher risk of MDD (1.07; 1.02-1.12; P = 0.010). In the other direction, neuropsychiatric disorders altered gut microbiota composition.

conclusionsThese data for the first time provide evidence of potential causal links between gut microbiome and AD, MDD, and SCZ. GABA and serotonin may play an important role in gut microbiota-host crosstalk in AD and SCZ, respectively. Further investigations in understanding the underlying mechanisms of associations between gut microbiota and AD, MDD, and SCZ are required.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseGastrointestinal MicrobiomeGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMajor Depressive DisorderSchizophreniaCausalityGenetic associationGut microbiotaMendelian randomizationNeuropsychiatric disorder

Identifiers

PMID33008395
PMCPMC7532639
OpenAlexW3090879627

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.