Numerous studies have shown that the intestinal microflora can affect a person's weight, appetite and taste perception, immunity, the rate of aging of the body, and even appearance.. Now, however, scientists have found that gut bacteria can also affect our emotional state..

So far, only a series of experiments on rodents has been carried out, as a result of which the dependence of their emotional and social behavior on the composition of the intestinal microflora has been revealed.. So far, no such studies have been conducted in humans.. Now, such a study was conducted by scientists led by Dr. Kirsten Tillisch, Associate Professor at the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases in Los Angeles, USA..

In a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Dr. Tillisch examined the gut microflora of 40 women and then performed MRI scans of their brains while looking at images of people, objects, or actions that elicited strong emotional responses from viewers.. Women were divided according to the composition of intestinal bacteria into two groups: 33 had more bacteria from the bacteroid genus, the remaining seven had more prevotella.

A group of women with bacteroids in their gut had a significantly greater thickness of gray matter in the frontal cortex and isoline, an area of \u200b\u200bthe brain associated with the processing of complex information.. They also had more hippocampus, the area of \u200b\u200bthe brain involved in memory processing.. In contrast, those who had more prevotella showed more connections between emotional, visual, and sensory areas of the brain and lower brain volumes in several areas, such as the hippocampus.. The hippocampus of this group was less active during viewing images that evoke negative emotions.. They also showed stronger negative feelings, such as anxiety, agitation, and irritability, when looking at photographs with negative images than the group of women with bacteroids..

The results of this study support the concept of a relationship between gut microflora and brain function in healthy individuals.. Researchers don't yet know if bacteria in the gut affect brain function, or if differences in brain structure affect the type of bacteria found in the gut.. However, both of these options could lead to important changes in the study of human emotions..

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