SynthesisBrain and behavior2025
The Effect of Prebiotics and Probiotics on Levels of Depression, Anxiety, and Cognitive Function: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.
Synthesis in Brain and behavior, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 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
22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The efficacy of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on anxiety, depression, and sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- The effects ofFrontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Postbiotics in Functional Foods: Preparation-Based Characterization, Gut-Brain Axis Interactions, and Translational Perspectives.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Genetic evidence on chemical communication between gut microbiota and neurological and psychiatric disorders: a Mendelian randomization study.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- The root rhizosphere as a functional analog to the gut microbiome: Cases for microbial symbiosis and dysbiosis in parallel contexts.PNAS nexus · 2026Review
- A case-series of oral acetate supplementation for gut microbiota alteration and metabolic improvement in patients with affective disorders on psychotropics.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- "Attacking" the Gut-Brain Axis with Psychobiotics: An Umbrella Review of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The gut is guilty! Will legalomics transform forensic and legal psychology?Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Translational approaches in microbiome research: from functional mechanisms to next-generation therapeutics.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Article
- Research progress and controversies in the treatment of functional constipation-related depression with probiotics and prebiotics: a narrative review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Challenging the prescientific frameworks of criminal justice: neurobiology and criminolytic interventions in the legalome era.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Article
- Gut bacteria-derived metabolites and their implications in mental health and neurological diseases.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2025Review
- From Bacillus Criminalis to the Legalome: Will Neuromicrobiology Impact 21st Century Criminal Justice?Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Neuroactive Phytochemicals as Multi-Target Modulators of Mental Health and Cognitive Function: An Integrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- The Role of Nutraceuticals and Probiotics in Addition to Lifestyle Intervention in the Management of Childhood Obesity-Part 2: Comorbidities.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Dual Challenges in the Context of Healthy Aging: A Comprehensive Exploration of the Association between Malnutrition and Cognitive Decline in Disabled Elderly.Aging and disease · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionRecent studies have emphasized the relationship between mental health and the human intestine microbiota. In this study, we evaluate the effect of consuming Biotics, on levels of depression, anxiety, and cognitive function.
methodsThis meta-analysis adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov. All full-text articles and major reviews were manually searched for additional studies.
resultsThe initial analysis was based on the concept that consuming Biotics causes changes in anxiety, measured using various instruments. This analysis showed that consuming Biotics significantly reduced anxiety in our study participants (SMD = 0.2894, Z = 2.46, P = 0.0139, I^2 = 92.4%). The meta-analysis included 4295 samples (2194 in the experimental group and 2101 in the control group). In terms of depression, the analysis showed that consuming Biotics significantly reduced depression in our study participants (SMD = 0.2942, Z = 2.13, P = 0.0335, I^2 = 91.7%). The meta-analysis included 3179 samples (1603 in the experimental group and 1576 in the control group). Regarding cognitive function, the analysis showed that consuming Biotics significantly improved cognitive function in our study participants (SMD = 0.4819, Z = 3.00, P = 0.0027, I^2 = 77.9%). The meta-analysis included 915 samples (470 in the experimental group and 445 in the control group).
conclusionsOur results indicate that most recent studies support the effectiveness of probiotics in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and cognitive issues despite some discrepancies in the findings. People with mild symptoms may experience greater benefits from taking probiotics.
trial registrationPROSPERO registration ID: CRD42024589507.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.