Gut-to-brain axis provides novel therapeutic targets for depression

Abstract

As an essential counterpart of the human internal environment, the gut microbiome has been investigated extensively in light of multiple diseases. This study aims to find out potential treatments for depression by altering gut microbiome composition in order to alleviate side effects caused by traditional medications. According to previous findings, the human gut correlates with the brain through pathways known as the gut-brain axis. Two genera of microbiome, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, have been mentioned by researchers to be crucial to depression-related neurotransmitter secretion in GBA. Besides, they have already been used in clinical as effective probiotics for gut-related diseases. The paper hypothesized particular interactions between the two genera and the human nerve that enable them to be therapeutic cures in adequate amounts. In this study, a range of available single-cell data about depression and lactobacillus and bifidobacterium were analyzed and adjusted into proper figures. I discuss the efficacy of different species, concentrations, and other elements of those probiotics, eventually proposing a novel way of treating and classifying depressive disorders. The study puts forth a perspective of maintaining a depression-free state with an internal factor, the gut microbiome, instead of targeting the efferent neurons directly with external drugs which could cause resistance and severe side effects.