Neural Mechanisms of Exercise: Effects on Gut Miccrobiota and Depression

Microbiota is a set of microorganisms resident in gut ecosystem that reacts to psychological stressful stimuli, and is involved in depressed or anxious status in both animals and human being. Interestingly, a series of studies have shown the effects of physical exercise on gut microbiota dynamics, suggesting that gut microbiota regulation might act as one mediator for the effects of exercise on the brain. Recent studies found that gut microbiota dynamics are also regulated by metabolism changes, such as through physical exercise or diet change. Interestingly, physical exercise modulates different population of gut bacteria in compared to food restriction or rich diet, and alleviates gut syndromes to toxin intake. Gut microbiota could as well contribute to the beneficial effects of exercise on cognition and emotion, either directly through serotonin signaling or indirectly by modulating metabolism and exercise performance.