Date of Award

Spring 2022

Degree Name

Master of Medical Science (Physician Assistant)

Department

Physician Assistant; College of Health Sciences

First Advisor

Zachary Weik

Abstract

Introduction: Depression affects over 21 million adults in the United States and continues to rise, affecting more people due to the recent pandemic. Because the prevalence of this debilitating mental health disease is increasing, it is even more crucial to find additional therapeutic treatments to alleviate depressive symptoms in adults whose depression is not controlled on current anti-depressant medication or therapy. Depression has been shown to be linked to the gut-brain axis, meaning gut health is connected to our mental health. Therefore, probiotics may be effective in altering the gut microbiome, and ultimately affecting cognitive patterns in the brain.

Methods: A literature search was completed using several databases including PubMed, ClinicalKey, Academic Search Ultimate, and Science Direct in December 2021. A total of nine randomized clinical trials were selected based off several inclusion criteria described below and critically appraised to analyze the integrity of study design, the validity of results, and potential translation of the conclusions.

Results: The majority of articles reported a significant decrease in self-reported and clinician-reported depressive symptoms based off of several depression scales between the intervention and control groups. Only a select number of articles that analyzed changes in blood biomarkers and fecal microbiota samples saw significant change in microbiota diversity before and after the intervention.

Conclusion: There is promise that probiotics may help regulate the gut microbiome, ultimately affecting cognitive processing and the expression of depressive symptoms. Given the increase of depression worldwide and how devastating this disease can be, the potential of probiotics as therapeutic treatment for depression should not be overlooked and potentially be incorporated into patient education in the clinical setting.

Additional Files

Brianna Rees Capstone Presentation.mp4 (15617 kB)

Included in

Psychiatry Commons

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The Effectiveness of Probiotics in Adults with Depressive Symptoms

Introduction: Depression affects over 21 million adults in the United States and continues to rise, affecting more people due to the recent pandemic. Because the prevalence of this debilitating mental health disease is increasing, it is even more crucial to find additional therapeutic treatments to alleviate depressive symptoms in adults whose depression is not controlled on current anti-depressant medication or therapy. Depression has been shown to be linked to the gut-brain axis, meaning gut health is connected to our mental health. Therefore, probiotics may be effective in altering the gut microbiome, and ultimately affecting cognitive patterns in the brain.

Methods: A literature search was completed using several databases including PubMed, ClinicalKey, Academic Search Ultimate, and Science Direct in December 2021. A total of nine randomized clinical trials were selected based off several inclusion criteria described below and critically appraised to analyze the integrity of study design, the validity of results, and potential translation of the conclusions.

Results: The majority of articles reported a significant decrease in self-reported and clinician-reported depressive symptoms based off of several depression scales between the intervention and control groups. Only a select number of articles that analyzed changes in blood biomarkers and fecal microbiota samples saw significant change in microbiota diversity before and after the intervention.

Conclusion: There is promise that probiotics may help regulate the gut microbiome, ultimately affecting cognitive processing and the expression of depressive symptoms. Given the increase of depression worldwide and how devastating this disease can be, the potential of probiotics as therapeutic treatment for depression should not be overlooked and potentially be incorporated into patient education in the clinical setting.