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Are Gut Microbes Key to Unlocking Anxiety?
A scanning electron micrograph of Escherichia coli, which are one of many strains of bacteria found in mammalian guts. (Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health)
The prevalence of anxiety disorders, already the most common mental illness in many countries, including the U.S., has surged during the novel coronavirus pandemic. A study led by researchers in Berkeley Lab’s Biosciences Area provides evidence that taking care of our gut microbiome may help mitigate some of that anxiety.
The team used a genetically heterogeneous lineage of mice known as the Collaborative Cross (CC) to probe connections among genes, gut microbiome composition, and anxiety-like behavior. They first categorized 445 mice across 30 CC strains as high or low anxiety based on their behavior in the light/dark box assay: a box with two compartments – one transparent and illuminated, the other black and un