Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39561720›Full record

ArticleNeuroimmunomodulation2025

The saNeuroGut Initiative: Investigating the Gut Microbiome and Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Posttraumatic Stress.

Michaela A O'Hare, Patricia C Swart, Stefanie Malan-Müller, Leigh L van den Heuvel, Erine Bröcker, Soraya Seedat, Sian M J Hemmings

Abstract read
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Article in Neuroimmunomodulation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

7 authors.

Michaela A O'HareDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Patricia C SwartDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Stefanie Malan-MüllerDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid (UCM), Research Institute of Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12), Instituto Universitario de Investigación Neuroquímica (IUIN-UCM), Madrid, Spain.
Leigh L van den HeuvelDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Erine BröckerDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Soraya SeedatDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Sian M J HemmingsDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCommon mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), present a substantial health and economic burden. The gut microbiome has been associated with these psychiatric disorders via the microbiome-gut-brain axis. However, previous studies have focused on the associations between the gut microbiome and common mental disorders in European, North American, and Asian populations. As part of the saNeuroGut Initiative, we assessed associations between gut microbial composition and self-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress (PTS) among South African adults.

methodsParticipants completed validated, online self-report questionnaires to evaluate symptoms of state anxiety, trait anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Eighty-six stool-derived microbial DNA samples underwent sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to characterise gut bacterial taxa in the sample.

resultsNo significant associations were observed between symptom severity scores and alpha (Shannon and Simpson indices) and beta (Aitchison distances) diversity metrics. Linear regression models revealed that the abundances of Catenibacterium, Collinsella, and Holdemanella were significantly positively associated with the severity of PTS symptoms.

conclusionCatenibacterium, Collinsella, and Holdemanella have each previously been associated with various psychiatric disorders, with Catenibacterium having been positively associated with symptoms of PTSD in another South African cohort. This study sheds light on the relationship between the human gut microbiome and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTS in a South African adult sample.

Indexed as

AnxietyDepressionGastrointestinal MicrobiomeStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSouth AfricaYoung AdultGut-brain interactionGut microbiotaMental healthMicrobiome-gut-brain axisPsychiatry

Identifiers

PMID39561720
PMCPMC11844704

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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.