Can the Gut Microbes Influence Behaviour?

Various research has shown that a large proportion of autistic children suffer from gastrointestinal problems, suggesting that the composition of the gut microbiome has a correlation with behavioural conditions.

Despite these studies, neuroscientists have had little understanding of how the microbiome influences the brain, consequently this year the US National institute of Mental Health have spent more than $1 million on a programme to enhance the understanding of the microbiome-brain relationship. Neuroscientists now think that bacterial waste products from the gut can influence the brain via the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the digestive tract.

It is also thought that the microbiome has its greatest influence early in life. This view is supported by research in mice conducted by John Cryan and his group. They found that mice who were born by caesarean section showed symptoms of depression and appeared more anxious than those who were born vaginally and were exposed to their mother’s microbes.

The consequences for these findings could be that future therapies for behavioural conditions such as autism could be treated via targeting the gut rather than the brain, which would be a far less complex treatment method.

Despite all these findings, don’t reach for probiotic products to influence your gut flora just yet. The research has all been conducted on mice and even those scientists at the forefront of the research are sceptical that the same treatment methods will work in humans.