The Gut Microbiota May Affect Personality in Mongolian Gerbils

Abstract

The “gut–microbiota–brain axis” reveals that gut microbiota plays a critical role in the orchestrating behavior of the host. However, the correlation between the host personalities and the gut microbiota is still rarely known. To investigate whether the gut microbiota of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) differs between bold and shy personalities, we compared the gut microbiota of bold and shy gerbils, and then we transplanted the gut microbiota of bold and shy gerbils into middle group gerbils (individuals with less bold and shy personalities). We found a significant overall correlation between host boldness and gut microbiota. Even though there were no significant differences in alpha diversity and beta diversity of gut microbiota between bold and shy gerbils, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes phyla and Odoribacter and Blautia genus were higher in bold gerbils, and Escherichia_shigella genus was lower. Furthermore, the fecal microbiota transplantation showed that changes in gut microbiota could not evidently cause the increase or decrease in the gerbil’s boldness score, but it increased the part of boldness behaviors by gavaging the “bold fecal microbiota”. Overall, these data demonstrated that gut microbiota were significantly correlated with the personalities of the hosts, and alteration of microbiota could alter host boldness to a certain extent.

Gut microbiome is associated with personality traits of free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)

“…Recent research indicates that experimental rats treated with pyruvate exhibit a significant reduction in aggression, indicating that pyruvate can mitigate host aggressive behavior ( Frank et al, 2023 ), which contributes to the understanding of the lower aggression observed in the shy group. Furthermore, the shyness group was found to exhibit enrichment in porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolic pathways, aligning with prior research outcomes in Mongolian gerbils ( Gan et al, 2022 ).…”

“…For example, individuals in early childhood with high alpha diversity tend to have higher extraversion ( Christian et al, 2015 ; Jiang et al, 2015 ), and low alpha diversity is strongly associated with increased expression of negative emotions in human infants ( Kelsey et al, 2021 ). However, a recent study did not find significant differences in the alpha and beta diversity of the gut microbiome between bold and shy Mongolian gerbils ( Meriones unguiculatus ) ( Gan et al, 2022 ). Our findings showed that alpha diversity is lower in boldness individuals than in shyness individuals on the Shy Dimension.…”

“…Fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) offers valuable insights into the relationship between gut microbiome and personality. For example, it has been reported that sterile rat models transplanted with fecal microorganisms from shy and bold rats exhibit behavioral traits similar to those of their predecessors ( Gan et al, 2022 ). Another study has shown that after colonizing the gut microbiome of people with anxiety and depressive symptoms, rodents exhibit human-like symptoms ( Kelly et al, 2016 ).…”

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

“…Personality traits were found to be ecologically and evolutionary relevant and can influence (or be related to) the individual life history [ 10 ], e.g., dispersal [ 11 ], space-use [ 12 ], gut microbiota [ 13 ], habitat selection [ 14 ], fitness and survival [ 15 , 16 ], as well as group- and population-level processes such as social organization [ 17 ], migration rate, population fluctuations [ 18 ], spatial population dynamics [ 19 ], interspecies competition [ 20 ], species range expansion, colonization, and invasions [ 21 – 23 ]. Unsurprisingly, in the past two decades, animal personality research was integrated into most organismal biological fields providing new insights into animal ecology and evolution, applied sciences, and human behaviour [ 3 ].…”

The Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis in Psychiatric Disorders

“…Studies on animal models revealed the connection between intestinal microbiota composition and its personalities and behavior, such as anxiety or depression. Gan et al [ 153 ] showed changes in the behavior of shy personalities of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculates) after transplantation of the gut microbiota of bold individuals. Shy gerbils often exhibited bold behavior after “bold fecal microbiota” transplantation, suggesting the association between the gut microbiota and the host’s personality.…”