Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Year in Review
  • Published:

Gut–brain axis in 2016

Brain–gut–microbiota axis — mood, metabolism and behaviour

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 14, pages 69–70 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

In 2016, key studies have increased our understanding of the part played by the brain–gut–microbiota axis in disorders as diverse as depression, obesity and autism spectrum disorder. The data indicate that alterations in gut-microbial composition can substantially affect central physiology, and that transplantation of the gut microbiota can transfer a behavioural or physiological phenotype.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The brain–gut–microbiota axis.

References

  1. Kelly, J. R. et al. Brain–gut–microbiota axis: challenges for translation in psychiatry. Ann. Epidemiol. 26, 366–372 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Jones, M. P. et al. Brain–gut connections in functional GI disorders: anatomic and physiologic relationships. Neurogastroenterol. Motil. 18, 91–103 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Winek, K., Dirnagl, U. & Meisel, A. The gut microbiome as therapeutic target in central nervous system diseases: implications for stroke. Neurotherapeutics 13, 762–774 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Gacias, M. et al. Microbiota-driven transcriptional changes in prefrontal cortex override genetic differences in social behavior. eLife 5, e13442 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Zheng, P. et al. Gut microbiome remodeling induces depressive-like behaviors through a pathway mediated by the host's metabolism. Mol. Psychiatry 21, 786–796 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Clarke, G. et al. The microbiome–gut–brain axis during early life regulates the hippocampal serotonergic system in a sex-dependent manner. Mol. Psychiatry 18, 666–673 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Kelly, J. R. et al. Transferring the blues: depression-associated gut microbiota induces neurobehavioural changes in the rat. J. Psychiatr. Res. 82, 109–118 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Perry, R. J. et al. Acetate mediates a microbiome–brain–beta-cell axis to promote metabolic syndrome. Nature 534, 213–217 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Wang, Y. et al. Maternal body mass index and risk of autism spectrum disorders in offspring: a meta-analysis. Sci. Rep. 6, 34248 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Buffington, S. A. et al. Microbial reconstitution reverses maternal diet-induced social and synaptic deficits in offspring. Cell 165, 1762–1775 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. APC Microbiome Institute and the Department of Psychiatry, University College Cork, Cork, IE0000, Ireland

    Timothy G. Dinan

  2. APC Microbiome Institute and the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, IE0000, Ireland

    John F. Cryan

Authors
  1. Timothy G. Dinan
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John F. Cryan
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Timothy G. Dinan.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

PowerPoint slides

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dinan, T., Cryan, J. Brain–gut–microbiota axis — mood, metabolism and behaviour. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 14, 69–70 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2016.200

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2016.200

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing