Causal association between gut microbiota and trigeminal neuralgia: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian...

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Neurology
• Genetics

Background:

• Gut microbiota (GM) associations with neurological disorders are increasingly recognized.
• The specific causal link between GM and trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is not well understood.
• Mendelian randomization (MR) offers a method to explore distant tissue relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal relationship between gut microbiota and trigeminal neuralgia using MR analysis.
• To identify specific gut bacteria or families causally linked to TN.
• To assess the independent effect of gut microbiota on TN.

Main Methods:

• Utilized genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary datasets for GM and TN.
• Employed five MR methods (IVW, MR-Egger, Weighted median, Weighted mode, Simple mode) for causal inference.
• Conducted sensitivity analyses and multivariable MR (MVMR) to ensure robustness and independence.

Main Results:

• Initially identified five GM taxa with potential causal links to TN: Turicibacter, Roseburia_unclassified, Acidaminococcaceae, Eubacterium ruminantium group, and Bacteroides_plebeius.
• MVMR analysis confirmed Acidaminococcaceae (Family) as a protective factor for TN (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.87).
• No evidence of reverse causation was found.

Conclusions:

• This study establishes a causal relationship between specific gut microbiota and trigeminal neuralgia.
• Acidaminococcaceae family may play a protective role in TN, offering novel insights into the gut-brain axis.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the protective effect of GM on TN.