Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41523970›Full record

ReviewAlpha psychiatry2025

Vitamin B12 and Affective Disorders: A Focus on the Gut-Brain Axis.

Chenyue Xu, Lingzhuo Kong, Tingting Mou, Anying Tang, Shaohua Hu, Jianbo Lai

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Alpha psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
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

6 authors.

Chenyue XuDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310003 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0575-2802
Lingzhuo KongDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310003 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1635-5963
Tingting MouDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310003 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6489-5154
Anying TangDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310003 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0171-4959
Shaohua HuDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310003 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0570-670X
Jianbo LaiDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310003 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8137-7701

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Accumulating evidence highlights the role of Vitamin B12 (VitB12) in the pathophysiology of affective disorders. However, its influence on brain function and the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In humans, VitB12 is obtained solely from dietary sources, primarily animal-based foods. VitB12 deficiency leads to the accumulation of homocysteine, a known contributor to emotional and behavioral dysregulation. VitB12 plays a critical role in maintaining neuron stability, synapsis plasticity, and regulating neuroinflammation by modulating key bioactive factors. These processes help to alleviate hippocampal damage, mitigate blood-brain barrier disruption, reduce oxidative stress, and enhance both structural and functional connectivity-collectively contributing to resilience against affective disorders. VitB12 from both diet and microbial sources is essential to gut homeostasis. Within the gut lumen, it stabilizes gut microbial communities, promotes short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and supports neurotransmitter metabolism (e.g., serotonin and dopamine) via its role in S-adenosyl-l-methionine biosynthesis. Crucially, VitB12, gut microbiota, SCFAs, intestinal mucosa, and vagal nerve signaling interact synergistically within the gut-brain axis (GBA) to maintain gut microenvironment stability, protect the gut-blood barrier, and suppress neuroinflammatory cascades, eventually reducing the susceptibility to affective disorders. This review synthesizes current evidence on the involvement of VitB12 in the GBA, its association with mood regulation, and its potential as a nutritional adjunct in managing affective disorders. By elucidating this integrative mechanism, we provide new insights into targeting the GBA to improve clinical outcomes in affective disorders.

Indexed as

bipolar disorderdepressive disordergastrointestinal microbiomevitamin B12

Identifiers

PMID41523970
PMCPMC12781227

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Registered trials

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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.