Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 May;32(3):185-195.
doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000499.

Dysregulation of the gut-brain axis in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: probiotic supplementation as a supportive treatment in psychiatric disorders

Mohamed Genedi  1 , Isabel E Janmaat  1 , Bartholomeus Benno C M Haarman  2 , Iris E C Sommer  1
Affiliations
Review

Dysregulation of the gut-brain axis in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: probiotic supplementation as a supportive treatment in psychiatric disorders

Mohamed Genedi et al. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2019 May.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder are severe mental disorders, both placing a significant burden on individuals' wellbeing and global health generally. The complex interaction of multiple mechanisms, underlying these disorders, still needs further elucidation. Increased activation of components of the immune system may be involved, including alterations in intestinal permeability and gut microbiome. Probiotics, defined as living microorganisms conferring health benefits to the host when administered in adequate amounts, seem to have supportive therapeutic effect in psychiatric disorders. The authors in this review provide an overview of this emerging research field and summarize both the publicated microbiome studies in SCZ and bipolar disorder and the current clinical research using probiotic supplementation in patients diagnosed with these disorders.

Recent findings: The current data indicate that there are differences in the microbiome in SCZ and bipolar disorder patients as compared with healthy controls. Part of these differences may be induced by medication use, others by smoking and other lifestyle factors. Correlations between microbiome quantification and symptom severity have been observed in cross-sectional studies, but unfortunately, no replicated findings so far. Probiotic supplementation was shown not only to alleviate gastrointestinal complaints but also reduce symptom severity, rehospitalization rates and cognitive improvement. Replication of improvement of cognition is needed.

Summary: Differences in microbiome have been shown in both SCZ and bipolar disorder in comparison to healthy controls. Evidence that probiotics can improve psychiatric functioning is still very limited.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types