Question

Research Topic: Mood and Behavior:

1. Do certain foods/food components modify the gut bacteria so that the overall mood of the host (human) is changed?

2. Describe the metabolism of the foods/food components in the bacteria and explain what molecules are produced that are behavior-altering for the host.

3. Are there specific microbial profiles that are linked to depression or anxiety? Are there microorganisms that are shown to offset these behavior disorders and can be introduced through probiotics?

4. Is there a link between the serotonin levels in the body and specific phyla of bacteria in the gut?

Answer 1

1) Yes , certain foods components modify the gut bacteria so that the overall mood of the host (human) is changed . A change in the diet , the food component either it is animal based or plant based it can alter the gut microbiome. These microbiome aso contribute to the host health as they help in the synthesis of vitamin or amino acids and they contribute to the body metabolism as it contributes the metabolic byproducts   . These bacteria in gut produced different types of neurotransmitters that affect the host mood as the presence of the good and healthy microbes and absence of the bad ones , they can make the host inflexive the conditions after trauma and events .

2)  The metabolism of the food components in the bacteria is the series of biochemical reactions . In bacteria , the process of substrate oxidation and dissimilation take place to produce the energy. Metabolism consist of two process anabolism and cataboism , the catabolism of the different food component is carried out by the different pathways , the pathways are glycolysis, hexose monophosphate shunt, Entner‐Doudoroff pathway (EDP), glyoxylate cycle, tricarboxylic acid cycle and respiration. In gut bacteria , the metabolism results into synthesis of enzymes, vitamins and amino acids, and production of short-chain fatty acids .

The microbes are the part of unconsious system that influencing the behavior of host and they have the major impact on cognitive function and fundamental behavior patterns of the host . These microbes produced different types of molecules which can alter the behaviour by actiong on brain or nervous system. Gut Microbes are staying in symbiont relationship with host , and due to the neurotransmitters are released that plays an important role in altering the behaviour of the host . SCFA and  acetate, has been observed to physiological changes in the hypothalamus. Here, acetate play an important role in altering  the level of the neurotransmitters glutamate, glutamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), as well as increases anorectic neuropeptide expression , and altering the behaviour of host.

3) NO, there are no specific microbial profiles that are linked to depression or anxiety. The depreesion and anxiety is caused by the unbalanced gut microbe due to the bad food component or whatever , there is no such special microbes that is responsible for such condition . YES , there are microorganisms that are shown to offset these behavior disorders and can be introduced through probiotics . This  probiotics mechanism includes the alteration the composition and fuction of gut microbe and have a crucial effect on neurobiology.

4) YES , there is the link between the serotonin and the specific phyla of gut microbes as certain gut bacteria can respond to serotonin and  90% of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut, so directly indirectly it can affect the phyla of microbes in GUT . Usually the phylas of gut microbes is associated with the tryptophan metabolism . Tryptophan is the aminoacid and this enables the production of serotonin , so we can say yes , thereis the  link between the serotonin levels in the body and specific phyla of bacteria in the gut.