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Review
. 2025 Apr 3;15(4):593.
doi: 10.3390/life15040593.

Gut Microbiota: A New Challenge in Mood Disorder Research

Giuseppe Marano  1   2 , Sara Rossi  1   2 , Greta Sfratta  1   2 , Gianandrea Traversi  3 , Francesco Maria Lisci  1   2 , Maria Benedetta Anesini  1   2 , Roberto Pola  4 , Antonio Gasbarrini  5 , Eleonora Gaetani  6   7 , Marianna Mazza  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Gut Microbiota: A New Challenge in Mood Disorder Research

Giuseppe Marano et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

The gut microbiome has emerged as a novel and intriguing focus in mood disorder research. Emerging evidence demonstrates the significant role of the gut microbiome in influencing mental health, suggesting a bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. This review examines the latest findings on the gut-microbiota-brain axis and elucidates how alterations in gut microbiota composition can influence this axis, leading to changes in brain function and behavior. Although dietary interventions, prebiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation have yielded encouraging results, significant advances are needed to establish next-generation approaches that precisely target the neurobiological mechanisms of mood disorders. Future research must focus on developing personalized treatments, facilitated by innovative therapies and technological progress, which account for individual variables such as age, sex, drug history, and lifestyle. Highlighting the potential therapeutic implications of targeting the gut microbiota, this review emphasizes the importance of integrating microbiota research into psychiatric studies to develop more effective and personalized treatment strategies for mood disorders.

Keywords: gut microbiota; gut–brain axis; lifestyle; mental health; mood disorders; personalized medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Gut microbiome composition in healthy subjects, highlighting the most prevalent phyla, with a particular focus on Firmicutes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of fecal microbiota transplantation on depression.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation of gut–brain axis, along with problems and future challenges linking gut microbiota to mood disorders.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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