Never fear, the gut bacteria are here: Estrogen and gut microbiome-brain axis interactions in fear extinction

Maeng, Lisa Y.; Beumer, Amy

doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.05.350

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 137 publications

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“…As previously discussed, problems with dopamine regulation are also a factor in effective fear-extinction learning [74]. Levels of sex hormones such as estrogen are important in fear extinction and gut microbiome status and are thought to affect both hormone and neurochemical (e.g., dopamine) regulation, in turn, affecting fear extinction [111,121].…”

Section: Defective Fear Extinction and Mental Health Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Table 2 provides examples of human and animal studies establishing the effects of microbiota on the regulation of fear extinction [84,[105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115].…”

Section: Regulation Of Fear Extinction By the Microbiome And Public H...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Review of the relationship between gut microbiota, fear extinction, and mental illness with an emphasis on sex-based differences in microbiota. [111] Researchers stressed that female stress-related, mental illness is significantly more prevalent than that in men. They emphasized the importance of sex hormones in the gut microbiota-brain regulation, gut microbiota differences based on sex and the need for female focused studies.…”

Section: Study [Reference] Significant Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Human Superorganism: Using Microbes for Freedom vs. Fear

Dietert

Dietert²

2023

Applied Microbiology

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Balanced fear supports human rational decision-making and useful behavioral responses. In contrast, overwhelming, persistent, and unbalanced fear can paralyze the individual and result in heightened anxiety, lack of cognitive flexibility, fear-based public compliance and serious mental health issues. Psychobiotics research has established that a healthy microbiome is required for balanced fear and mental health protection via control of fear extinction. The recent COVID-19 pandemic featured daily, persistent, fear-of-a-single-contagion conditioning on a global scale paired with various behavioral mandates (e.g., lockdowns of the healthy, required wearing of face masks in many locations including schools, isolation from environmental microbes and each other through the closure of beaches and parks, and restrictions on social gatherings including access to family members in hospitals and senior-assisted facilities). Such mandates degraded the human microbiome and isolated us from each other and useful environmental microbes. It also ignored the historic role of secondary bacterial pathogens in pandemic deaths. This narrative review examines how the institutional promotion of fear-of-a-single-contagion, lack of balanced risk communication, and appalling disregard of our fundamental nature (as majority-microbial human superorganisms) resulted in problems rather than solutions. This review illustrates that government-public health-media promotion of pervasive fear and microbiome-degrading behaviors: (1) increased public compliance, (2) reduced cognitive flexibility, and (3) increased risk of mental health conditions. However, a portion of the general public chose a healthier path through their increased consumption of microbiome- and immune-supportive supplements and fermented foods during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. For a healthier future, public health must follow the lead of this population to ensure that human freedom, rather than paralyzing fear, dominates our future.

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Section: Defective Fear Extinction and Mental Health Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%