Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese
  • Polish
  • Turkish

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gastroenterology
  3. Geriatric depression: gut microbiota involved in remission?
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic pages
    • Experts' point of view
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
  • Useful documents
    • How to talk about
    • Infographics
    • IBS Diagnosis Check List
    • Patients Stories

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
General Medicine

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gastroenterology
  3. Geriatric depression: gut microbiota involved in remission?
Gastroenterology

Geriatric depression: gut microbiota involved in remission?

Depression
Psychiatry Gastroenterology

Already implicated by previous studies in neuropsychiatric functioning, the gut microbiota may also predict treatment response in geriatric depression, even for treatment with a placebo. Moreover, it may also be predictive of subsequent remission.

Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
General Medicine
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic pages
    • Experts' point of view
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
  • Useful documents
    • How to talk about
    • Infographics
    • IBS Diagnosis Check List
    • Patients Stories

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your colleagues might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail

About this article

Created 01 June 2021
Updated 23 July 2024

A major public health issue, geriatric depression may affect up to 25% of elderly people, with lower remission rates and higher relapse rates than in younger adults. This has led to a search for biomarkers predictive of responses to antidepressants. Unsuccessful to date, this search has now reached a turning point. Based on the fact that brain-gut-microbiota interactions modulate mood disorders and that gut dysbiosis appears in late life, researchers have hypothesized that the gut microbiota may predict responses to antidepressant treatments in geriatric depression. The secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (12 weeks of Levomilnacipran [LVM] or a placebo) in California involving seniors with major depressive disorder seems to support this hypothesis.

Bacterial genera capable of predicting remission

As no differences were observed in remission rate between the LVM group and the placebo group, the analysis combined the 4 treated patients and the 8 controls. Of these 12 seniors, 5 overcame their depression (score ≤ 6 on the Hamilton scale): they were younger (67 vs. 74 years) and all were male; but there were no differences in pretreatment gut microbiota alpha or beta-diversity between the two groups. However, the content of 9 bacterial genera in the baseline microbiota was accurate in predicting remission. A significant content of Faecalibacterium, and to a lesser extent Agathobacter and Roseburia, was associated with remission.

A gut microbiota that changes in the case of remission

The study also showed that the gut microbiota of remitters (but not that of non-remitters) changed during their recovery from depression. The researchers observed an increase in certain taxa, including Flavonifractor and DTU089. According to the authors, the increased presence of these bacteria may be the result of depression remission (better diet, increased physical activity, improved sleep, reduced stress, etc.), although they have no known antidepressant effects.

Personalized medicine to treat geriatric depression soon at hand?

Despite this, the relationship between the gut microbiota and depression in aging remains poorly understood. Does a slow decline in the immune system (immunosenescence) lead to a progressive increase in chronic inflammation? Does this increase alter the gut microbiota (loss of diversity)? While questions remain, this is the first study demonstrating that the gut microbiota can predict treatment response in geriatric depression, even for treatment via a placebo. If these results are confirmed by larger prospective studies, they could pave the way for personalized medicine capable of selecting the appropriate antidepressant based on the microbiota and predicted efficacy, or of treating depression by reinforcing certain beneficial taxa.

Recommended by our community

"Thank, good job!!"  -@thinhhoang_tk (From Biocodex Microbiota Institute on X)

Sources

Lee SM, Dong TS, Krause-Sorio B, et al. The intestinal microbiota as a predictor for antidepressant treatment outcome in geriatric depression: a prospective pilot study. Int Psychogeriatr. 2021 Mar 24:1-13.

Old sources

 

 

Tags
Gut-brain axis Dysbiosis Depression Aging Antidepressant Geriatric Microbiome Flora
    Created 01 June 2021
    Updated 23 July 2024

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Depression

    Medical practice

    Psychiatry Gastroenterology

    Content type

    News
    Gastroenterology

    Association between fungal dysbiosis and environment

    The fungal portion of the gut microbiota (or mycobiota) has been much less studied than the bacterial...

    Find out more

    Your IBS Diagnosis Check List

    How many patients suffering from gut disorder do you see per week? How many are diagnosed with Irrita...

    Find out more

    Probiotics: what exactly are we talking about?

    From the Latin pro and Greek bios meaning “for life”, the term “probiotic” was suggested over 60 year...

    Find out more

    How do you choose a probiotic for your patient?

    Faced with a plethora of products on the market, it's not always easy for health professionals to sug...

    Find out more

    The Janus face of Antibiotics: Life Savers and Microbiota Disruptors

    A page turns: with the advent of antibiotics in the...

    Find out more

    Fecal transplantation - ready for prime time?

    Congress review By Pr. Danny De Looze Department of Gastroenterology University Hospital Gent, Belgi...

    Find out more

    Focus on antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD)

    Find out more

    Dampening gastrointestinal inflammation through nutrition

    by Dr Genelle Healey

    Find out more

    Continue reading

    News
    Actu PRO : Malnutrition : agir sur le microbiote pour améliorer la croissance, un prototype à l’essai
    08.07.2021

    Malnutrition: acting on the microbiota in order to improve growth, a trial prototype

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    The microbial-metabolic nexus in colon cancer

    Read the article
    07.02.2025

    Your functional dyspepsia diagnosis check list

    Read the article
    17.04.2025

    Sensitivity to the additive E466: the role of the microbiota

    Read the article
    Photo HCPs: Clinical context over quick fix: the fresh consensus on microbiome testing
    11.04.2025

    Clinical context over quick fix: the fresh consensus on microbiome testing

    Read the article
    22.11.2023

    Is vaginal microbiota transfer the new miracle for C-section babies?

    Read the article
    Actu PRO : Alcoolisme : expliquer les troubles sociaux grâce au microbiote
    27.01.2021

    Alcoholism: explaining social disorders thanks to the microbiota

    Read the article
    20.03.2025

    Entacapone and the gut: a hidden impact on parkinson’s care

    Read the article
    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese
    • Polish
    • Turkish

    Browse the site

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    14.05.2025

    Towards worldwide redefinition of healthy vaginal microbiota

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    The microbial-metabolic nexus in colon cancer

    Read the article
    02.05.2025

    A new lens on chlamydia: beyond behavior, into the microbiome

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    © 2025 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Legal notice
    • GTU
    • Data protection policy
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    • Digital accessibility : partially compliant
    Biocodex logo