Title : “Gut microbes and mental health: Rewiring neuropsychiatric medicine through the gut–brain axis”

The gut microbiome has emerged as a pivotal regulator of brain function and mental health through the complex bidirectional network known as the gut–brain axis. Growing evidence demonstrates that intestinal microbial communities influence neurodevelopment, neurotransmission, emotional behavior, stress responsiveness, and addictive tendencies through interconnected neural, endocrine, metabolic, and immune signaling pathways. Communication between the gut and brain is mediated through the vagus nerve, enteric nervous system, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, immune mediators, and microbiota-derived metabolites that collectively shape central nervous system activity and behavioral outcomes.Microbial metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), indoles, bile acid derivatives, and tryptophan metabolites, play critical roles in maintaining blood–brain barrier integrity, regulating neuroinflammation, modulating synaptic plasticity, and influencing monoaminergic neurotransmission. In parallel, gut microbes contribute to the synthesis and metabolism of neuroactive compounds such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin precursors, dopamine-related metabolites, and other neuromodulators implicated in mood regulation, cognition, reward processing, and stress adaptation.Accumulating clinical and experimental evidence links gut dysbiosis with major neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and substance-use disorders. Reduced microbial diversity, impaired intestinal barrier integrity, chronic systemic inflammation, altered tryptophan metabolism, and immune dysregulation are increasingly recognized as hallmarks of microbiome-associated psychiatric dysfunction. Notably, emerging studies suggest that microbial imbalance can influence drug reward pathways, craving, withdrawal responses, relapse susceptibility, and stress-induced addictive behaviors, highlighting a significant role of the microbiome in addiction neurobiology. Early-life microbial disturbances, including antibiotic exposure, dietary imbalance, and environmental stressors, may further predispose individuals to long-term psychiatric vulnerability. Microbiome-targeted therapeutic strategies—including probiotics, prebiotics, psychobiotics, precision dietary modulation, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)—have demonstrated promising anxiolytic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects in preclinical models and selected clinical studies. Psychobiotic strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are particularly emerging as potential adjunctive interventions for mood and stress-related disorders. However, heterogeneity in microbial strains, treatment protocols, study design, and clinical endpoints continues to limit translational standardization and large-scale clinical implementation.This presentation will highlights recent advances in microbiome psychiatry and examines the mechanistic and therapeutic implications of gut microbiota modulation in addiction, anxiety, and depression. Understanding host–microbe interactions may redefine the future of neuropsychiatric medicine by enabling personalized, microbiome-based interventions for mental health and addiction management.

Keyword: Gut–brain axis; Microbiome psychiatry; Dysbiosis; Psychobiotics; Addiction; Anxiety and depression; Neuroinflammation.

Dr. Anita V. Handore-Salunke is the Founder and Director of PhytoElixir Pvt. Ltd., an innovation-driven phyto-biotechnology startup in India. A distinguished bioscientist, entrepreneur, and research mentor, she holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and an M.Phil. in Environmental Science. With over two decades of expertise, she has pioneered translational research in phyto-biotechnology, microbiology, nutraceuticals, healthcare, agriculture, and environmental sciences. She is the recipient of multiple national and international awards, holds granted patents, and has authored over 115 scientific publications. Dr. Anita is widely recognized for her global scientific contributions, mentorship, editorial leadership, and commitment to science-driven societal transformation.