Prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial
IntroductionPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder characterized by intrusive memories, avoidance, negative thoughts and moods, and heightened arousal. Many patients also report gastrointestinal symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment appr...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| author | Robin M. Voigt Robin M. Voigt Robin M. Voigt Phillip A. Engen Michelle Villanueva Simona A. Bambi Stefan J. Green Stefan J. Green Ankur Naqib Ankur Naqib Shohreh Raeisi Maliha Shaikh Bruce R. Hamaker Bruce R. Hamaker Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles Sarah A. Pridgen Philip Held Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian |
| author_facet | Robin M. Voigt Robin M. Voigt Robin M. Voigt Phillip A. Engen Michelle Villanueva Simona A. Bambi Stefan J. Green Stefan J. Green Ankur Naqib Ankur Naqib Shohreh Raeisi Maliha Shaikh Bruce R. Hamaker Bruce R. Hamaker Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles Sarah A. Pridgen Philip Held Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian |
| author_sort | Robin M. Voigt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder characterized by intrusive memories, avoidance, negative thoughts and moods, and heightened arousal. Many patients also report gastrointestinal symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment approach for PTSD that successfully reduces symptoms. However, many patients still meet criteria for PTSD after treatment or continue to have symptoms indicating the need for new treatment strategies for PTSD. Patients with PTSD have a disrupted intestinal microbiome (i.e., dysbiosis) which can promote neuroinflammation; thus, modulation of the microbiome could be an alternative or adjunct treatment approach for PTSD.MethodsThe current study was a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial seeking to understand if CBT combined with a microbiota-modifying, prebiotic fiber intervention would beneficially impact clinical outcomes in veterans with PTSD (n = 70). This proof-of-concept, pilot trial was designed to assess: (1) the relationship between severity of PTSD symptoms and microbiota composition and SCFA levels (i.e., acetate, propionate, butyrate), (2) if CBT treatment with a concomitant prebiotic fiber intervention would beneficially impact clinical outcomes in veterans with PTSD, (3) evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a prebiotic intervention as an adjunct treatment to CBT, and (4) assess the impact of treatment on the intestinal microbiota and stool SCFA (i.e., mechanism).ResultsThis study found that PTSD severity may be associated with reduced abundance of taxa capable of producing the SCFA propionate, and that a subset of individuals with PTSD may benefit from a microbiota-modifying prebiotic intervention.ConclusionThis study suggests that targeting the intestinal microbiome through prebiotic supplementation could represent a promising avenue for enhancing treatment outcomes in some individuals with PTSD.Clinical trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier NCT05424146. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-15ece8ec7bd34b3a8106dc8565d80db1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-15ece8ec7bd34b3a8106dc8565d80db12025-01-07T06:43:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2025-01-011810.3389/fnins.2024.14775191477519Prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trialRobin M. Voigt0Robin M. Voigt1Robin M. Voigt2Phillip A. Engen3Michelle Villanueva4Simona A. Bambi5Stefan J. Green6Stefan J. Green7Ankur Naqib8Ankur Naqib9Shohreh Raeisi10Maliha Shaikh11Bruce R. Hamaker12Bruce R. Hamaker13Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles14Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles15Sarah A. Pridgen16Philip Held17Ali Keshavarzian18Ali Keshavarzian19Ali Keshavarzian20Ali Keshavarzian21Rush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesGenomics and Microbiome Core Facility, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesGenomics and Microbiome Core Facility, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesWhistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesWhistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesRush Center for Integrated Microbiome and Chronobiology Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesDepartment of Physiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United StatesIntroductionPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder characterized by intrusive memories, avoidance, negative thoughts and moods, and heightened arousal. Many patients also report gastrointestinal symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment approach for PTSD that successfully reduces symptoms. However, many patients still meet criteria for PTSD after treatment or continue to have symptoms indicating the need for new treatment strategies for PTSD. Patients with PTSD have a disrupted intestinal microbiome (i.e., dysbiosis) which can promote neuroinflammation; thus, modulation of the microbiome could be an alternative or adjunct treatment approach for PTSD.MethodsThe current study was a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial seeking to understand if CBT combined with a microbiota-modifying, prebiotic fiber intervention would beneficially impact clinical outcomes in veterans with PTSD (n = 70). This proof-of-concept, pilot trial was designed to assess: (1) the relationship between severity of PTSD symptoms and microbiota composition and SCFA levels (i.e., acetate, propionate, butyrate), (2) if CBT treatment with a concomitant prebiotic fiber intervention would beneficially impact clinical outcomes in veterans with PTSD, (3) evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a prebiotic intervention as an adjunct treatment to CBT, and (4) assess the impact of treatment on the intestinal microbiota and stool SCFA (i.e., mechanism).ResultsThis study found that PTSD severity may be associated with reduced abundance of taxa capable of producing the SCFA propionate, and that a subset of individuals with PTSD may benefit from a microbiota-modifying prebiotic intervention.ConclusionThis study suggests that targeting the intestinal microbiome through prebiotic supplementation could represent a promising avenue for enhancing treatment outcomes in some individuals with PTSD.Clinical trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier NCT05424146.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1477519/fullposttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)gut-brain axisprebioticsmicrobiota modulationveteransmicrobiota |
| spellingShingle | Robin M. Voigt Robin M. Voigt Robin M. Voigt Phillip A. Engen Michelle Villanueva Simona A. Bambi Stefan J. Green Stefan J. Green Ankur Naqib Ankur Naqib Shohreh Raeisi Maliha Shaikh Bruce R. Hamaker Bruce R. Hamaker Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles Sarah A. Pridgen Philip Held Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian Ali Keshavarzian Prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial Frontiers in Neuroscience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) gut-brain axis prebiotics microbiota modulation veterans microbiota |
| title | Prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial |
| title_full | Prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | Prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial |
| title_short | Prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial |
| title_sort | prebiotics as an adjunct therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder a pilot randomized controlled trial |
| topic | posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) gut-brain axis prebiotics microbiota modulation veterans microbiota |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1477519/full |
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