ReviewFrontiers in neuroscience2022
A Reciprocal Link Between Gut Microbiota, Inflammation and Depression: A Place for Probiotics?
Review in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Altered Cytokine Levels in the First Episode of Major Depression and in Antidepressant-Naïve Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Severity of Depressive Symptoms by Perceived Stress and Gut Microbiota Composition: A Sex-Stratified Bayesian Approach in a Non-Clinical Sample.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026Article
- Article
- Bridging Mind and Gut: The Molecular Mechanisms of microRNA, Microbiota, and Cytokine Interactions in Depression.Current gene therapy · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota dysbiosis at the interface of neuropsychiatric disorders and their dermatological comorbidities.Gut microbes · 2025Review
- Efficacy of Gut Microbiome-Targeted Interventions on Mental Health Symptoms in Women Across Key Hormonal Life Stages: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- From gums to moods: Exploring the impact of the oral microbiota on depression.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Review
- Beyond weight loss: exploring the neurological ramifications of altered gut microbiota post-bariatric surgery.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Review
- Limited Changes in Red Blood Cell Parameters After Probiotic Supplementation in Depressive Individuals: Insights from a Secondary Analysis of the PRO-DEMET Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- The anti-depressive role of the Pei Yuan Kai Yu formula in cerebral small vessel disease based on gut microbiota.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Gut-Mind Interactions in Psychedelic Healing: A Case Study Assessing the Effects of Huachuma and Ayahuasca on the Mind and Microbiome.Journal of restorative medicine · 2025Article
- Gegen Qinlian decoction alleviates depression-like behavior by modulating the gut microenvironment in CUMS rats.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- The impact of exercise on depression: how moving makes your brain and body feel better.Physical activity and nutrition · 2024Article
- Exploring the Influence of Gut-Brain Axis Modulation on Cognitive Health: A Comprehensive Review of Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Symbiotics.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Milmed Yeast Alters the LPS-Induced M1 Microglia Cells to Form M2 Anti-Inflammatory Phenotype.Biomedicines · 2022Article
- The impact of early-life environment on absence epilepsy and neuropsychiatric comorbidities.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Depression is a severe mental disorder that places a significant economic burden on public health. The reciprocal link between the trillions of bacteria in the gut, the microbiota, and depression is a controversial topic in neuroscience research and has drawn the attention of public interest and press coverage in recent years. Mounting pieces of evidence shed light on the role of the gut microbiota in depression, which is suggested to involve immune, endocrine, and neural pathways that are the main components of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The gut microbiota play major roles in brain development and physiology and ultimately behavior. The bidirectional communication between the gut microbiota and brain function has been extensively explored in animal models of depression and clinical research in humans. Certain gut microbiota strains have been associated with the pathophysiology of depression. Therefore, oral intake of probiotics, the beneficial living bacteria and yeast, may represent a therapeutic approach for depression treatment. In this review, we summarize the findings describing the possible links between the gut microbiota and depression, focusing mainly on the inflammatory markers and sex hormones. By discussing preclinical and clinical studies on probiotics as a supplementary therapy for depression, we suggest that probiotics may be beneficial in alleviating depressive symptoms, possibly through immune modulation. Still, further comprehensive studies are required to draw a more solid conclusion regarding the efficacy of probiotics and their mechanisms of action.
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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.