"Breakthrough Study Links Gut Microbiota to Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment"
Researchers have discovered a link between the gut microbiome and social anxiety disorder (SAD). A study from University College Cork found that mice receiving gut microbes from humans with SAD exhibited more social fear after conditioning with electric shocks compared to mice with microbes from non-anxious individuals. The study also noted lower levels of social hormones and changes in immune response in the SAD microbiome mice, suggesting that the gut-brain axis plays a significant role in mental health and could lead to new treatments for conditions like social anxiety.