PsycGM: a comprehensive database for associations between gut microbiota and psychiatric disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Microbiology
• Genomics

Background:

• Psychiatric disorders present significant global health challenges with limited treatment options.
• The gut microbiome's role in central nervous system regulation via the gut-brain axis is increasingly recognized.
• Existing metagenomics data for psychiatric disorders are fragmented across diverse studies and species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a comprehensive, curated database (PsycGM) of gut microbiota associations with psychiatric disorders.
• To integrate high-throughput data across various phenotypes, interventions, and species.
• To provide a valuable resource for investigating gut dysbiosis in mental health.

Main Methods:

• Manually curated and annotated database development.
• Integration of 559 studies from 31 countries, including human and animal models.
• Systematic documentation of associations between microbial taxa, psychiatric disorders, and interventions.

Main Results:

• PsycGM includes 8907 associations between 1514 microbial taxa and 11 psychiatric disorders.
• It also documents 4050 associations between 869 taxa and 232 interventions.
• Analysis revealed specific microbial taxa consistently altered in depression, such as Parabacteroides and Alistipes in humans, and Helicobacter and Lactobacillus in animal models.

Conclusions:

• PsycGM serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding gut microbiota's role in mental health.
• The database facilitates research into gut dysbiosis and aids in identifying novel therapeutic targets.
• It enables exploration of microbiota-based interventions for psychiatric conditions.