A randomized controlled trial to test the effect of multispecies probiotics on cognitive reactivity to sad mood.

By L. Steenbergen, Roberta Sellaro, Saskia van Hemert, Jos A. Bosch, Lorenza S. Colzato. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 2015

644 citations recorded by the source corpus.

BACKGROUND Recent insights into the role of the human microbiota in cognitive and affective functioning have led to the hypothesis that probiotic supplementation may act as an adjuvant strategy to ameliorate or prevent depression. OBJECTIVE Heightened cognitive reactivity to normal, transient changes in sad mood is an established marker of vulnerability to depression and is considered an important target for interventions. The present study aimed to test if a multispecies probiotic containing Bifidobacterium bifidum W23, Bifidobacterium lactis W52, Lactobacillus acidophilus W37, Lactobacillus brevis W63, Lactobacillus casei W56, Lactobacillus salivarius W24, and Lactococcus lactis (W19 and W58) may reduce cognitive reactivity in non-depressed individuals. DESIGN In a triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, pre- and post-intervention assessment design, 20 healthy participants without current mood disorder received a 4-week probiotic food-supplement intervention with the multispecies probiotics, while 20 control participants received an inert placebo for the same period. In the pre- and post-intervention assessment, cognitive reactivity to sad mood was assessed using the revised Leiden index of depression sensitivity scale. RESULTS Compared to participants who received the placebo intervention, participants who received the 4-week multispecies probiotics intervention showed a significantly reduced overall cognitive reactivity to sad mood, which was largely accounted for by reduced rumination and aggressive thoughts. CONCLUSION These results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. Probiotics supplementation warrants further research as a potential preventive strategy for depression.

Subfields: Biological Psychiatry, Food Science, Molecular Biology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f98dd54d37081cddcccad5cbbd022c22bf53081b

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Biological Psychiatry

1. J. Cryan
2. Ted G. Dinan
3. G. Clarke
4. P. Kennedy
5. C. Stanton
6. J. Foster
7. L. Rinaman

In Food Science

1. Ted G. Dinan
2. G. Clarke
3. J. Cryan

In Molecular Biology

1. J. Cryan
2. Ted G. Dinan
3. G. Clarke
4. C. Stanton
5. P. Kennedy
6. Y. Borre
7. J. R. Kelly
8. S. Mazmanian

Citations in the corpus

• Kynurenine pathway metabolism and the microbiota‐gut‐brain axis (2017, background): “Emerging data in healthy humans support preclinical findings suggesting the gut microbiota influence mood and anxiety (Benton et al., 2007; Messaoudi et al., 2011; Steenbergen et al., 2015).”
• Transferring the blues: Depression-associated gut microbiota induces neurobehavioural changes in the rat. (2016, background): “…of small studies in healthy individuals suggest pre- and probiotic consumption can positively affect aspects of mood and anxiety (Messaoudi et al., 2011; Steenbergen et al., 2015), modulate HPA function (Messaoudi et al., 2011; Schmidt et al., 2015) and alter brain activity (Tillisch et al., 2013).”