How do gut microbes affect host behaviors?

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25293054
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental physiology(including physical medicine and nutritional physiology)
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Sudo Nobuyuki 九州大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (60304812)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YOSHIHARA KAZUFUMI 九州大学病院, 助教 (20444854) ; KOGA YASUHIRO 東海大学, 医学部, 教授 (60170221)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 環境生理学 / 腸内細菌 / 行動 / 不安 / ストレス / メタボローム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, open-field and marble-burying tests were used to analyze anxiety-like behaviors and locomotor activity in gnotobiotic BALB/c mice with a common genetic background in a sterile isolator.
As a result, EX-GF mice, the gnotobiotic mice with normal specific pathogen-free microbiota, were less anxious and active than GF mice using open-field and marble-burying tests. Monoassociation with Brautia coccoides reduced the anxiety level, but it did not affect the locomotor activity. In contrast, colonization with Bifidobacterium infantis decreased the locomotor activity, while having little effect on the anxiety level. These results strongly support the view that gut microorganisms modulate behavioral phenotype and stress response of the hosts.

Free Research Field

内科学一般（含心身医学）