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Probiotic supplementation improves the cognitive function and the anxiety-like behaviors in the stressed rats

Mahsa Hadizadeh1, Gholam Ali Hamidi1, Mahmoud Salami1

  • 1Physiology Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.

Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences
|June 21, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Probiotic supplementation in rats exposed to prenatal stress improved spatial memory and reduced anxiety-like behaviors by modulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This highlights the gut-brain axis

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Microbiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Prenatal stress negatively impacts neurodevelopment and cognitive function.
  • The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, releasing glucocorticoids, is activated during stress.
  • Gut microbiota communicates with the brain, influencing behavior and HPA axis activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of probiotic supplementation on behavioral outcomes in rats exposed to prenatal stress.
  • To assess the impact of probiotics on HPA axis regulation in stressed rat models.
  • To explore the link between gut microbiota, probiotics, and the gut-brain axis in stress-related disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Rats born from dams subjected to noise stress during pregnancy were used.
  • Two groups received probiotic supplementation: before (pre-ST) and after (post-ST) birth.
  • Spatial memory (Morris water maze), anxiety-like behaviors (elevated plus-maze), and serum corticosterone levels (HPA axis function) were evaluated.

Main Results:

  • Probiotic treatment significantly increased anxiety-like behavior entries in stressed rats.
  • Spatial memory deficits in stressed rats were restored to near-control levels by probiotic supplementation.
  • Probiotic administration normalized elevated serum corticosterone levels in stressed rats.

Conclusions:

  • Probiotic supplementation positively influences behavioral functions and HPA axis activity in a rat model of prenatal stress.
  • Findings support a connection between gut microbiome modulation via probiotics and improved stress-related behavioral and physiological outcomes.
  • Probiotics may represent a therapeutic strategy for mitigating stress-dependent neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders.
Abstract

Keywords:
AnxietyLearning and memoryMicrobiotaProbioticStress

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