Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 2;18(1):2446332.
doi: 10.1080/19420889.2024.2446332. eCollection 2025.

The overlooked role of microbiota-gut-brain communication in child psychiatry: a call for integration in early intervention strategies

Sunny Cui  1 , Mubtaseem Aronno  1 , Angel K Q Wong  2 , Leah Snodgrass  3
Affiliations

The overlooked role of microbiota-gut-brain communication in child psychiatry: a call for integration in early intervention strategies

Sunny Cui et al. Commun Integr Biol. .

Abstract

Emerging research has highlighted the significant role of microbiota-gut-brain communication in child psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anxiety disorders. Despite this, mainstream psychiatric interventions for children continue to focus predominantly on neurological and psychological therapies, neglecting the critical influence of gut microbiota on brain development and behavior. This commentary underscores the need for greater integration of microbiota-targeted therapies, such as dietary interventions, prebiotics, and probiotics, into early psychiatric intervention strategies. By addressing the gut-brain axis as a key component of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric outcomes, clinicians can adopt a more holistic and biologically informed approach to treatment. We propose that future research and clinical practice should prioritize interdisciplinary collaboration to explore how microbiota-based treatments can be incorporated into existing child psychiatry frameworks, offering new avenues for improving long-term mental health outcomes.

Keywords: Child psychiatry; microbiota communication; microbiota-gut-brain axis; neurodevelopmental disorders; neuroimmune interactions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

References

    1. Atladottir HO, Gyllenberg D, Langridge A, et al. The increasing prevalence of reported diagnoses of childhood psychiatric disorders: a descriptive multinational comparison. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry [Internet]. 2015;24(2):173–4. doi: 10.1007/s00787-014-0553-8 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dash S, Syed YA, Khan MR.. Understanding the role of the gut microbiome in brain development and its association with neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol [Internet]. 2022;10:880544. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.880544 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bistoletti M, Bosi A, Banfi D, et al. The microbiota-gut-brain axis: focus on the fundamental communication pathways. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci [Internet]. 2020;176:43–110. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.08.012 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ríos-Covián D, Ruas-Madiedo P, Margolles A, et al. Intestinal short chain fatty acids and their link with diet and human health. Front Microbiol [Internet]. 2016;7:185. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00185 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rusch JA, Layden BT, Dugas LR. Signalling cognition: the gut microbiota and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) [Internet]. 2023;14:1130689. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1130689 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources