| Author |
Matamoros, Sébastien Bäckhed, Fredrik Verbeke, Kristin Delzenne, Nathalie M. Leclercq, Sophie Windey, Karen Tremaroli, Valentina Neyrinck, Audrey M. De Timary, Philippe Cani, Patrice D. Jamar, François Stärkel, Peter |
| Description |
Author Affiliation: Leclercq S ( Department of Adult Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium); Matamoros S ( Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium); Cani PD ( Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium); Neyrinck AM ( Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium); Jamar F ( Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium); Stärkel P ( Laboratory of Hepato- and Gastroenterology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium); Windey K ( Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders and Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Center, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium); Tremaroli V ( Wallenberg Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine and Sahlgrenska Center for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, University of Gothenburg, S-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden); Bäckhed F ( Wallenberg Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine and Sahlgrenska Center for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, University of Gothenburg, S-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden); Verbeke K ( Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders and Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Center, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium); de Timary P ( Department of Adult Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium); Delzenne NM ( Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium); |
| Abstract |
Alcohol dependence has traditionally been considered a brain disorder. Alteration in the composition of the gut microbiota has recently been shown to be present in psychiatric disorders, which suggests the possibility of gut-to-brain interactions in the development of alcohol dependence. The aim of the present study was to explore whether changes in gut permeability are linked to gut-microbiota composition and activity in alcohol-dependent subjects. We also investigated whether gut dysfunction is associated with the psychological symptoms of alcohol dependence. Finally, we tested the reversibility of the biological and behavioral parameters after a short-term detoxification program. We found that some, but not all, alcohol-dependent subjects developed gut leakiness, which was associated with higher scores of depression, anxiety, and alcohol craving after 3 wk of abstinence, which may be important psychological factors of relapse. Moreover, subjects with increased gut permeability also had altered composition and activity of the gut microbiota. These results suggest the existence of a gut-brain axis in alcohol dependence, which implicates the gut microbiota as an actor in the gut barrier and in behavioral disorders. Thus, the gut microbiota seems to be a previously unidentified target in the management of alcohol dependence. |
