Author(s)

Jiayuan Chen, Wenxin Chen, Jingqi Xu

Corresponding Author

Jiayuan Chen

ABSTRACT

Gut microbiota is trillions of bacteria that dwell in the gut and are closely related to human health by precipitating various signals to the human brain. Even some slight deviations from the standard metabolic value of substances production or intake will result in mental issues, which has aroused concerns around the world for a while. There are three main pathways facilitate transporting information between the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system: the autonomic nervous system(ANS), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis, and the immune system. Mice experiments have proved the relationship between intestinal flora and people’s mental state as several types of neurotransmitter and microbial metabolites have a direct impact on brain secreta balance, therefore stimulating neurological disorders. However, statistics based on human and clinical studies have not been sufficient to demonstrate how the gut microbiota contributes to metabolic disturbances in the brain. In this review article, we systematically describe the mechanisms between the three pathways and the chemicals that produce the pathological effects, focusing on the pathogenesis of anxiety and depression. There is still great uncertainty about whether daily food intake protects against certain neurological disorders. In the future, it is still necessary to study how to intervene the intestinal nerve axis in order to prevent and treat diseases such as anxiety and depression.

KEYWORDS

Gut microbiota, Autonomic nervous system (ANS), Immune system, Anxiety