Interventions of gut bacteria to develop preventive methods for depression.

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K15484
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 52030:Psychiatry-related
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Horai Tadasu 神戸大学, 医学部附属病院, 講師 (90817826)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 腸内細菌 / ストレス反応性 / DEX-CRH負荷試験

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We started the study and tried to obtain informed consent from depressed patients who were outpatients or hospitalized at our hospital, but we could not obtain informed consent. Most of them were afraid of taking steroids or intravenous CRH. In addition, due to the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the number of eligible patients has decreased significantly, both in terms of first visit patients and inpatients. It is extremely difficult to include both patients and healthy subjects in the study at this time, and we will attempt to recruit patients and healthy control again as soon as the COVID-19 settles down.
We have also conducted several biological studies on mood disorders and schizophrenia.

Free Research Field

精神医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、腸内細菌叢プロファイルと個人のストレス反応性との関連、うつ病の回復や重症化に関連する腸内細菌叢のタイプ・腸内細菌の種類の同定、腸内細菌がうつ病の発症に影響を与える生物学的機序の解明を目的とする研究であった。現在の精神医学は依然としてその診断は臨床症状からの診断が中心で、画像所見や血液検査などの客観的な診断方法は確立されていない。それゆえに本研究で腸内細菌からうつ病の診断や各個人のストレス反応性が解明される可能性があり、学術的にも社会的にも非常に大きな意義をもつものであった。今後も患者の組み入れを継続し、新たな精神疾患の診断法・治療法の発展に寄与したい。