Probiotics-induced changes in gut microbial composition and its effects on cognitive performance after stress:...

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Neuroscience
• Human Nutrition

Background:

• Stress impairs cognitive functions, particularly working memory.
• The gut microbiota is implicated in modulating stress responses and cognitive performance.
• Probiotics are hypothesized to influence the gut-brain axis and mitigate stress effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of multi-strain probiotics on gut microbial composition in healthy women.
• To explore the relationship between probiotic-induced microbial changes and cognitive performance under acute stress.
• To identify specific gut bacteria associated with improved stress resilience.

Main Methods:

• A 28-day randomized, placebo-controlled trial with multi-strain probiotics (EcologicBarrier).
• Assessment of working memory task performance before and after acute stress, pre- and post-intervention.
• 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze gut microbial composition and diversity.
• Correlation analyses to link microbial changes with cognitive outcomes.

Main Results:

• Probiotics supplementation did not significantly alter global gut microbial beta diversity compared to placebo.
• An uncorrected increase in eight bacterial genera was observed in the probiotics group.
• Increased abundance of Ruminococcaceae_UCG-003 was significantly associated with improved stress-induced working memory changes in the probiotics group.
• These bacteria are involved in plant fiber degradation and short-chain fatty acid production.

Conclusions:

• Probiotic-induced alterations in specific gut bacteria, such as Ruminococcaceae_UCG-003, may enhance cognitive resilience to acute stress.
• The gut-brain axis, modulated by probiotics and microbial metabolites, plays a role in stress and cognition.
• Targeting the gut microbiota with probiotics shows potential for improving cognitive function in stressful situations.