Microbiota-brain-gut interactions in intestinal inflammation and psychiatric illnesses

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) were considered classical psychosomatic diseases which associated with mental health disturbances. Some hypotheses have suggested that gut microbiota may play a role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric symptoms in IBD patients. This article “Review article: bugs, inflammation and mood—a microbiota‐based approach to psychiatric symptoms in inflammatory bowel diseases” reviewed the literature which had discussed the interactions of gut microbiota and brain in intestinal inflammation and psychiatric illnesses. Sufficient arguments revealed that gut microbiota played as a mediating role in intestinal inflammation and psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, future research should focus on gut microbiota which may represent a useful therapeutic approach in managing psychiatric illnesses of IBD patients. (Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2020 Jul;52(2):247-266. doi: 10.1111/apt.15787. Epub 2020 Jun 11.)

Anyone interested in future collaboration in this field of research is welcome to contact our key investigator Prof. Siew C. NG in Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, CUHK. Prof Ng’s research focuses on epidemiology, genetics, pathogenesis, treatment of IBD, role of Gut microbiota in health and disease, and fecal microbiota transplantation and microbial therapeutics.