Anderson Scott C. - The Psychobiotic Revolution

A RE BACTERIA CONTROLLING YOUR BRAIN? I T SEEMS ABSURD! Bacteria are so ridiculously tiny that you could fit a thousand of them into a single human cell. And yet, microbes seem to have superpowers. Flesh-eating bacteria can mow a human down in mere days. The Black Death brought down entire civilizations. Could such a primitive creature take the reins of our exquisitely evolved human minds? The answer is yes. Just as scientists are learning more each day about the trillions of microbes living inside you, so they are also discovering that some of these microbes can actually commandeer your mind, control your tastes, and alter your moods.

In 2004, I set up a lab for a company in Ohio, and started to design and analyze animal experiments on gastrointestinal (GI) problems like colitis. I did a lot of reading into the scientific literature about the relationship between gut health and disease. An association between gut health and mental health was always noted in these studies. As I focused on articles about gut bacteria that had a psychological angle, I learned of the work of Ted Dinan and John Cryan, two of the leading researchers in this field. In fact, they are the ones who came up with the new word to name the microbes that can improve your mood: psychobiotics. These microbes are major players in the gut-brain axis: the communication between your gut and your mind.

I soon recognized how incredibly productive Cryan and Dinan are, together having written more than 400 peer-reviewed articles in this decade alone. John Cryan is chair of Anatomy and Neuroscience and Ted Dinan is head of the Department of Psychiatry, both at University College Cork, Ireland (UCC). Together they are the principal investigators at UCCs APC Microbiome Institute, where they manage a team of young, bright investigators who have come from all over the world to join them in this groundbreaking research.

Cryan and Dinan are leading a revolution that is upending long-held doctrines in almost every branch of biologyand that can have profound effects on the decisions we make to stay healthy and treat disease. When I decided to write a book about psychobiotics, I knew who my guides should be. I contacted the good doctors by Skype, and we started a dialogue that ultimately led to a delightful fish and champagne dinner in Corkand the book you are now reading.

In this book, I will be your primary narrator. While I guide you through the basic biology, John Cryan and Ted Dinan will take you into their labs. When they take over the narrative, it will look like this:

In neuroscience and medicine, were conditioned to think of only what is happening above the neck in terms of the regulation of our emotions, but this is changing. Research, including that being carried out by us in the APC Microbiome Institute at UCC, is literally turning this concept upside down. Were beginning to fully realize the importance that gut function and the food we eat have on our mental well-being.

Thats Cryan and Dinan speaking. You will hear their voices throughout, as they bring their research to life. In some cases, theyll be quoting directly from their published research; in other cases, theyll be commenting on promising work in the field. Their psychobiotic theories permeate this book, as do the theories of dozens of other researchers who have been finding a similar connection between gut microbes and the brain. Cryan and Dinan have patiently vetted this entire tome; it has been a wonderful collaboration that we all hope will put our readers into the best possible mood.

Scott C. Anderson