The relationship between the gut microbiota and altered disorders: a literature review

Abstract

Objective: To carry out an narrativa review of the relationship between the gut microbiota and depression. Bibliographic review: Depression is a neuropsychiatric disease associated with mood swings, sleep and/or appetite disturbances, low self-esteem and responsible for about 800,000 annual deaths by suicide. The gut-brain axis and its bidirectional interaction have attributed the gut microbiota to the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and mood disorders including depression and anxiety. It modulates several central processes through the vagus nerve, as well as the production of microbial metabolites and immune mediators that trigger changes in neurotransmission, neuroinflammation, and behavior. Knowledge of the complex interaction between the gut-brain axis involving endocrine, immunological and neurotransmitter pathways opens new therapeutic possibilities in the approach of brain and neurodegenerative diseases. Final considerations: Psychobiotics and functional foods emerge as possible adjuvants in the treatment of depressive disorders, with the potential to minimize morbidity and mortality and the socioeconomic impacts of this pathology.