A research group led by Associate Professor Tatsuro Ohta of Chiba University, who is a visiting associate professor at DBCLS, has published a paper entitled “Differences in the human gut microbiota with varying depressive symptom severity scores” in the journal Bioscience of Microbiota, Food and Health. The paper can be found at the following URL https://doi.org/10.12938/bmfh.2023-049

Depression is a common mental health disorder and the COVID-19 pandemic has further increased its profile due to reduced social activity. As the gut microbiota has been highlighted as a therapeutic target for mental health due to a system called the gut-brain axis, the research group investigated the association between the gut microbiota and depression in people living in Japan. Analysis of data from participants who received a gut microbiology service and a questionnaire assessing depressive tendencies showed no significant differences in the composition of the gut microbiota between groups based on depression screening scores, but the different presence of bacteria from the families Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus and Bayronellaceae quantities was shown to be possible. This finding highlights the potential of gut microbiota-based interventions for the treatment of depression. The study was conducted in collaboration with DBCLS and Cykinso Inc.