Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36941248›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2023

The gut microbiome in social anxiety disorder: evidence of altered composition and function.

Mary I Butler, Thomaz F S Bastiaanssen, Caitriona Long-Smith, Sabrina Morkl, Kirsten Berding, Nathaniel L Ritz, Conall Strain, Dhrati Patangia, Shriram Patel, Catherine Stanton and 4 more

Open access · goldFull text read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
64citing papers in PubMed
17.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

64 citing papers in PubMed, 98 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Unveiling the Molecular Repertoire ofJournal of microbiology and biotechnology · 2026
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  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
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Observational
  20. Food science & nutrition · 2025
    Article

4 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

14 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Mary I ButlerDepartment of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. marybutler1910@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-7918-533X
Thomaz F S BastiaanssenAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-6891-734X
Caitriona Long-SmithAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Sabrina MorklDepartment of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-5034-6358
Kirsten BerdingAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Nathaniel L RitzAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Conall StrainAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Dhrati PatangiaAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Shriram PatelAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Catherine StantonAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Siobhain M O'MahonyAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
John F CryanAPC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-5887-2723
Gerard ClarkeDepartment of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-9771-3979
Timothy G DinanDepartment of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-2316-7220
University College Cork · IETeagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority · IEMedical University of Graz · AT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The microbiome-gut-brain axis plays a role in anxiety, the stress response and social development, and is of growing interest in neuropsychiatric conditions. The gut microbiota shows compositional alterations in a variety of psychiatric disorders including depression, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia but studies investigating the gut microbiome in social anxiety disorder (SAD) are very limited. Using whole-genome shotgun analysis of 49 faecal samples (31 cases and 18 sex- and age-matched controls), we analysed compositional and functional differences in the gut microbiome of patients with SAD in comparison to healthy controls. Overall microbiota composition, as measured by beta-diversity, was found to be different between the SAD and control groups and several taxonomic differences were seen at a genus- and species-level. The relative abundance of the genera Anaeromassillibacillus and Gordonibacter were elevated in SAD, while Parasuterella was enriched in healthy controls. At a species-level, Anaeromassilibacillus sp An250 was found to be more abundant in SAD patients while Parasutterella excrementihominis was higher in controls. No differences were seen in alpha diversity. In relation to functional differences, the gut metabolic module 'aspartate degradation I' was elevated in SAD patients. In conclusion, the gut microbiome of patients with SAD differs in composition and function to that of healthy controls. Larger, longitudinal studies are warranted to validate these preliminary results and explore the clinical implications of these microbiome changes.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderGastrointestinal MicrobiomeMicrobiotaPhobia, SocialSchizophreniaHumans

Identifiers

PMID36941248
PMCPMC10027687
OpenAlexW4327936153

What OpenQuestion holds

Textfull text, public
LicenceCC BY
reference markers read9
measurements read73
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.