Within each of our bodies, thousands of species of microorganisms— bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses—coinhabit our organs, particularly abundant in the small and large intestines. This microscopic community of organisms, known as the gut microbiome, functions as a support system for the body, heavily contributing to the health of an individual and playing a crucial role in various physiological processes. One such process is sleep, which can be understood by looking into Dr. Martha Vitaterna’s research studying the link between the gut microbiome and the regulation of sleep.
Dr. Vitaterna’s paper, “A Prebiotic Diet Alters the Fecal Microbiome and Improves Sleep in Response to Sleep Disruption in Rats”, investigates how administering a prebiotic diet affects recovery after sleep disruption in rodents. This prebiotic diet stimulates growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome, and this study demonstrates that its effects include a heightened resilience to circadian disruption. Mice on this prebiotic diet exhibit increased sleep during the sleep disruption protocol and longer bouts of sleep during the sleep recovery period. This research highlights the prospect of therapies that target the gut microbiome, and circadian disruption is just one among many physiological complications that could be treated through the gut microbiome.
On December 12, Medical News Today published an article delving into the relationship between the gut microbiome and depression. According to the World Health Organization, depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Though the causes of depression are not fully understood, scientists agree that multiple types of environmental and biological factors contribute to the development of the disease. One likely contributor is the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. The MNT article “Do gut bacteria play a role in depression?” discusses recent research that found a link between the gut microbiome and the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin and glutamate, which are thought to influence depression. A study involving 1,133 human participants found an association between symptoms of depression and 13 types of gut bacteria. This association could be the discovery of a potential biomarker for depression, which would improve the accuracy of diagnosing depression in patients, and it could even lead to potential treatments of depression.
On the clinical implications of this research, Dr. Najaf Amin was quoted, “Since gut microbiome is primarily determined by the lifestyle factors, diet in particular, once causality is established, the therapy would be as simple as modification of diet or the use of probiotics.” If a prebiotic diet can effectively improve sleep impediments in rodents as shown by Dr. Vitaterna’s research, then perhaps it is possible that such a diet could help alleviate symptoms of depression in humans.
Works Cited
Bowers, Samuel J., et al. “A Prebiotic Diet Alters the Fecal Microbiome and Improves Sleep
in Response to Sleep Disruption in Rats.” Frontiers in Neuroscience, vol. 16, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.889211.
Cross, Paul Ian. “Do Gut Bacteria Play a Role in Depression?” Medical News Today, 12 Dec.
2022, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/do-gut-bacteria-play-a-role-in-depression. Accessed 14 Dec. 2022.
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