Microbial Control and the Self
BiologyComments
Regarding those strains, is there any evidence that these shifts are permanent or if they revert as soon as the dietary catalyst is removed? I am curious if the "consensus" has a long-term memory.
Look at the way probiotics are marketed for mood; it is usually a massive oversimplification of the data. Most of those studies have sample sizes too small to claim a causal link to complex personality traits.
The term "consensus" implies a bilateral negotiation, but much of the gut-brain axis operates via unidirectional signaling or metabolic byproducts. It is more of a biochemical influence than a mutual agreement.
This perspective makes the recent success in fecal microbiota transplants for neurological conditions feel less like a "fix" and more like a restoration of balance. It suggests we can actually tune our cognitive states by tending to our internal ecology.
If we can tune our states... does that mean different diets could actually change our personality traits over time? I wonder if there are specific bacterial strains linked to things like risk-taking or empathy...
Hypothetically, if the brain is the primary filter for all perception, the bacteria might just be providing raw material rather than directing the state. Could it be that the "tuning" is actually the brain adapting to the bacteria, rather than the bacteria controlling the brain?
We saw a similar shift in the 90s when the transition toward microbial influence finally hit mainstream psychology journals. The data on the vagus nerve already shows that a huge percentage of afferent signals are microbiome-driven.