Interactions between environmental sensitivity and gut microbiota are associated with biomarkers of stress-related psychiatric symptoms

Abstract

Background: Humans vary in their sensitivity to stressful and supportive environments and experiences. Such individual differences in environmental sensitivity are associated with mechanisms of stress-related psychiatric symptoms. In recent years, researchers have focused on bidirectional interactions in the brain-gut-microbiota axis as a neurophysiological pathway contributing to the mechanisms of stress-related psychiatric symptoms, and evidence is rapidly accumulating.

Methods: Data on environmental sensitivity, gut microbiota, gut permeability (lipopolysaccharide-binding protein; LBP) and inflammation (C-reactive protein; CRP) were collected from 90 adults (50 % female; M_age = 42.1; SD_age = 10.0). Environmental sensitivity was measured using a self-report questionnaire. Study participants' feces were analyzed, and observed operational taxonomic units for richness, Shannon's index for evenness, and phylogenetic diversity for biodiversity were evaluated as indicators of gut microbiota. In addition, participants' serum was analyzed for CRP and LBP. We investigated whether the interaction between environmental sensitivity and gut microbiota is associated with biomarkers of inflammation and gut permeability.

Results: The interaction between environmental sensitivity and gut microbiota (excluding the Shannon's index) explained the levels of these biomarkers. Individuals with high environmental sensitivity displayed higher levels of CRP and LBP, when the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota was low. However, even highly susceptible individuals had lower levels of CRP and LBP, when the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota was high.

Conclusions: Our study indicates that high environmental sensitivity can be a risk factor for inflammation and gut permeability, when the gut microbiota diversity is low, suggesting a brain-gut-microbiota axis interaction.

Keywords: Brain-gut axis; Brain-gut-microbiota axis; C-reactive protein; Environmental sensitivity; Gut microbiota; Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein.