Are Gut Microbes the Key to Unlocking Anxiety?
The prevalence of anxiety disorders, already the most common mental illness in many countries, including the U.S., has surged during the novel coronavirus pandemic. A study led by researchers in Berkeley Lab’s Biosciences Area provides evidence that taking care of our gut microbiome may help mitigate some of that anxiety.
The team used a genetically heterogeneous lineage of mice known as the Collaborative Cross (CC) to probe connections among genes, gut microbiome composition, and anxiety-like behavior. They first categorized 445 mice across 30 CC strains as high or low anxiety based on their behavior in the light/dark box assay: a box with two compartments – one transparent and illuminated, the other black and un-illuminated – connected by an opening. The degree to which rodents’ innate aversion to brightly lit, open spaces supersedes (or doesn’t) their instinct to explore a novel environment is a rough analog for high (or low) anxiety.