A Convenience Sample Looking at Microbiome Differences Between Anxious and Non-Anxious Patients in a GI Clinic
<b>Background</b>: The gut–brain axis, significantly influenced by the gut microbiome, is a growing focus in mental health research. This study aimed to investigate gut microbiome differences between anxious and non-anxious participants. <b>Methods</b>: A convenience sample o...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Gastroenterology Insights |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7422/15/4/72 |
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| Summary: | <b>Background</b>: The gut–brain axis, significantly influenced by the gut microbiome, is a growing focus in mental health research. This study aimed to investigate gut microbiome differences between anxious and non-anxious participants. <b>Methods</b>: A convenience sample of 119 participants consisted of 56 participants with self-assessed low to zero levels of anxiety and 63 with self-assessed mild to severe levels of anxiety, using the self-rated Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) test. Fresh stool samples were collected for bacterial DNA extraction. DNA library preparation was performed using shotgun methodology, sequenced with the NextSeq 500/550 High Output v2.5 300 cycle kit, and mapped using minimap2. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted using One Codex. <b>Results</b>: The study participants were all of white race/ethnicity and the mean age, 54 (anxious group) vs. 55 (non-anxious) yr old, was not different between groups (<i>p</i> = 0.75). In the anxious group, 33% were females versus 25% in the non-anxious group, <i>p</i> = 0.46. Six percent of the anxious group reported a prior diagnosis of depression and 8% had irritable bowel syndrome, compared to none in the non-anxious group (<i>p</i> = 0.02, <i>p</i> = 0.006, respectively). Mann–Whitney tests revealed higher relative abundances of the genera <i>Clostridioides</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.011) and <i>Bacteroides</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.002) in the anxious group. Conversely, the anxious group had lower levels of the genera <i>Bifidobacterium</i> (<i>p</i> = 2.118 × 10<sup>−10</sup>), <i>Faecalibacterium</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.020), and the Phylum Actinobacteria (<i>p</i> = 1.516 × 10<sup>−8</sup>). <b>Conclusions</b>: Our findings corroborate previous studies, showing significant gut microbiome differences between anxious individuals and their non-anxious counterparts. These results support further exploration of microbiome-centric anxiety research. |
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| ISSN: | 2036-7414 2036-7422 |