From: bulldog23x@gmail.com   
      
   The Brain-Gut Connection: How Gut Bacteria May Treat Depression By Therese J.   
   Borchard    
   Associate Editor    
      
   ~ 2 min read   
   We humans have a second brain. Come to think of it, men have three. The second   
   one, called our enteric nervous system, consists of some 100 million neurons   
   that are embedded in the walls of the long tube of our gut, which starts at   
   the esophagus and ends    
   at the anus. It measures approximately nine meters long, deeper than most   
   swimming pools.   
      
   As important as the neurons in the gut is the kind of bacteria found there.   
   Our body is a dwelling place for about 100 trillion bacteria and other   
   microbes, collectively known as our microbiome. They do many important things:   
   break down our food, fight    
   off infection, and boost our immune system. However, scientists are finding   
   that they may do even more than that, and have an important role in our mental   
   health. In fact, the burgeoning field of psychobiotics may prove to be a new   
   treatment for those    
   with chronic depression, and especially for those who suffer from   
   gastrointestinal issues alongside depression and anxiety.   
      
   John F. Cryan, PhD, a neuropharmacologist and microbiome expert from the   
   University College Cork in Ireland, is one of the scientists at the forefront   
   of exploring the link between gut and brain health. He works closely with   
   gastroenterologists,    
   microbiologists, and psychiatrists to study the effects of gut bacteria on the   
   brain. His studies on mice are fascinating, and show us how gut bacteria can   
   alter the biochemistry of our brain (the one held up by our necks).   
      
   Dr. Cryan and his colleagues discovered that when mice are bred in sterile   
   conditions -- lacking of beneficial bacteria -- they do not interact with   
   other mice and behave with social awkwardness, much like I do at a PTA   
   meeting. Also, when they disrupted    
   the microbiome, the mice mimicked human anxiety, depression, and autism. Cut   
   off the good stuff, and these guys aren't happy.   
      
   Cryan began as a neuroscientist and studied mostly the brain; however, after   
   seeing how patients with comorbid illnesses were being tossed from one   
   specialist to another -- gastroenterologists referring to psychiatrists and   
   vice versa -- he wanted to    
   explore the link between our intestines and our noggin in order to improve   
   healthcare. His studies provide the data to support new forms of treatment and   
   encourage other neuroscientists to venture below the neck.   
      
   Sarkis Mazmanian, PhD, is another pioneer in this field. A microbiologist at   
   the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, he was recently   
   interviewed for the journal Nature. "The field [of neuroscience] is going to   
   another level of sophistication,"   
    he said. "Hopefully this will shift this image that there's too much   
   commercial interest and data from too few labs."   
      
   Dr. Mazmanian did his own study in 2013 that found mice with some features of   
   autism had much lower levels of a common gut bacterium called Bacteroides   
   fragilis than did normal mice. They were stressed, antisocial, and had the   
   same gastrointestinal    
   symptoms often found in autism. Interestingly enough, when the scientists fed   
   the mice B. fragilis, they reversed their symptoms.   
      
   If you are skeptical of mice experiments, there's also this. Many studies have   
   indicated that (human) babies born by C-section have an increased risk for   
   developing allergies, asthma, diabetes, and autism. That was the same as mice   
   born of C-sections.    
   But they also were more anxious and depressed. Why? They don't receive the   
   critical exposures to a mother's vaginal microbes when they are born.   
      
   What does this mean in terms of treatment?   
      
   In one of Cryan's studies, two varieties of Bifidobacterium produced by his   
   lab were more effective than escitalopram (Lexapro) at treating anxious and   
   depressed behavior in a lab mouse strain known for pathological anxiety.   
      
   I began taking a probiotic last year and I do think it has helped my mood.   
   Like the lab mice, I feel more resilient. I think it's especially important   
   for people who have been on a lot of antibiotics in their past, as I was, or   
   have recently had major    
   surgery. Looking back, I think my appendix rupturing and the ensuing   
   appendectomy affected my mental health more than I ever considered. The   
   probiotic treatment has helped heal that.   
      
   The more I ask people about the link between their gastrointestinal problems   
   and mood disruptions, the more convinced I am of how the two brains work   
   together.   
      
   Continue the conversation on ProjectBeyondBlue.com, the new depression   
   community.   
      
   Originally posted on Sanity Break at Everyday Health.   
      
   Bacteria image available from Shutterstock   
      
       
       Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 7 Aug 2015   
       Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.   
      
       
      
      
   About Therese J. Borchard   
      
   Therese Borchard is the host of Project Beyond Blue, an online community for   
   persons with treatment-resistant depression and other chronic mood disorders.   
   She blogs for Everyday Health and is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving   
   Depression & Anxiety and    
   Making the Most of Bad Genes. You may find her at ThereseBorchard.com or you   
   may follow her on Twitter.   
      
      
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)