Shining Light on Mycobacterium vaccae and Stress Disorders
Stress immunity potentially boosted by probiotic consumption
Unraveling the mysteries of our gut bacteria's role in mental health, researchers at University of Colorado Boulder could have unearthed a "good" bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, that might safeguard our brains against stress-induced issues like anxiety and PTSD.
In the informal world of Medical News Today, we've spotted several studies probing the brain-gut connection.
For one, a study theorized the absence of certain gut bacteria could influence brain areas tied to anxiety and depression. In another, researchers suggested stomach acid drugs tend to disrupt the gut-brain axis, potentially leading to depression. Perhaps most intriguing, researchers discovered a link between gut health and PTSD.
This bidirectional relationship between gut bacteria and emotional well-being is growingly intriguing. Not only does the lack of beneficial microbes cause mood disturbances, but stress - for instance - has been shown to harm gut health just as much as junk food, as per a recent study.
The question then arises: could there be a way to manipulate gut bacteria to defend us from stress? The researchers at Colorado Boulder are hopeful there could be. In their groundbreaking study, led by Dr. Matthew Frank, they found a beneficial bacterium with anti-inflammatory properties that may be harnessed to combat stress.
Their findings were published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
digidesk: A Odyssey into Stress and Brain Inflammation
Dr. Frank explains the connection between inflammation in the brain and stress-related mood disorders. "There is a wealth of literature that demonstrates if you instigate an inflammatory immune response in people, they exhibit signs of depression and anxiety swiftly," he says. "Ponder how you feel when you come down with the flu."
Certain studies have also shown how trauma can make certain brain areas more sensitive to upcoming stress, making them more susceptible to flaring up with inflammation.
A previous study conducted by researchers at the same institution involved mice injected with Mycobacterium vaccae. These mice displayed less anxiety when confronted with a challenging situation and were less likely to develop inflammation or colitis.
Capitalizing on this prior research, Dr. Frank and his team delved deeper into the precise neurological effects of M. vaccae.
Probiotic Barricade Against Stress Impact
The researchers injected M. vaccae into male rodents three times, once a week. Eight days after the last injection, they found increased levels of an anti-inflammatory protein called interleukin-4 in the rodents' hippocampi.
The hippocampus, part of the brain's limbic system, plays a significant role in learning and memory. It regulates our anxiety and fear responses, among other tasks. In the light of these findings, the researchers concluded that M. vaccae "blocked those sensitizing effects of stress, creating a lasting stress-resilient phenotype in the brain."
"We found," explains Dr. Frank, "that this specific bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, changes the environment within the brain towards an anti-inflammatory state."
If such a condition could be achieved in humans, it could have broad implications for a variety of neuroinflammatory diseases. Dr. Christopher Lowry, the senior study author and an associate professor in integrative physiology, clarified how the findings helped in understanding the connection between probiotics and mood disorders.
"If you consider the wider probiotics field," he says, "they have been shown to have strong effects in domains like cognitive function, anxiety, and fear. This paper helps make sense of this by suggesting that these beneficial microbes, or signals derived from these microbes, somehow make their way to the hippocampus, inducing an anti-inflammatory state."
- The study led by Dr. Matthew Frank at the University of Colorado Boulder suggests that Mycobacterium vaccae, a beneficial bacterium with anti-inflammatory properties, might protect our brains against stress-induced issues like anxiety and PTSD.
- The researchers found that M. vaccae injections in rodents increased levels of the anti-inflammatory protein interleukin-4 in the hippocampus, potentially creating a lasting stress-resilient phenotype in the brain.
- The study's findings indicate that a manipulation of gut bacteria, such as the use of probiotics, could have broad implications for neuroinflammatory diseases and the management of mental health conditions like anxiety and PTSD.
- In the health-and-wellness and mental-health spheres, the connection between gut bacteria, stress, and inflammation is becoming increasingly important, with science continually unveiling new insights into the digestive system's role in maintaining overall health.
