Human threat learning is associated with gut microbiota composition

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Microbiology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Learning about threats and safety is crucial for survival.
• Rodent studies indicate the gut microbiota can influence these behaviors.
• Human data linking gut microbiota to threat or extinction learning is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between individual gut microbiota composition and threat/extinction learning in healthy adults.
• To determine if gut bacteria variability is associated with differences in learning about threats and safety.

Main Methods:

• Assessed individual differences in threat and extinction learning in human participants.
• Analyzed the composition of the gut microbiota in the same participants.
• Correlated behavioral learning measures with microbiome data.

Main Results:

• Significant association found between gut microbiota composition and threat learning variability.
• No significant association was observed between gut microbiota and extinction learning.
• Threat learning, unlike extinction learning, showed individual differences linked to microbiome profiles.

Conclusions:

• The gut microbiota is associated with excitatory threat learning in humans.
• Findings extend across species, suggesting a conserved role for the gut microbiome in threat perception.
• Individual gut microbiome composition may contribute to variations in threat learning.