Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40312666›Full record

SynthesisBMC psychiatry2025

Gut microbiota variations in depression and anxiety: a systematic review.

YuanYuan Cao, YiRan Cheng, WenChao Pan, JianWei Diao, LingZhi Sun, MiaoMiao Meng

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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  3. Heat-TreatedNutrients · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

YuanYuan CaoShandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China.
YiRan ChengAffiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China.
WenChao PanShandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China.
JianWei DiaoQingdao Huangdao District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Qingdao, 266500, China.
LingZhi SunAffiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China. slzsunny@126.com.
MiaoMiao MengAffiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China. mmm0531@126.com.

Funding

Shandong provincial Natural Science Foundation, China No. ZR2021MH180
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics of gut microbiota in depression and anxiety through a systematic review.

methodsArticles were searched in the PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO databases from their inception to February 12th, 2023. Case-control studies on the characteristics of gut microbiota in depression and anxiety were included. Methodological quality assessment of included studies was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). A qualitative synthesis was conducted to assess bacterial diversity (α- and β-diversity) and taxa abundance differences at the phylum, family, and genus levels.

resultsA total of 24 articles were included in the systematic review, 20 studies were conducted in China. Our results showed that the findings of the α- and β-diversity assessments were inconsistent for both depression and anxiety. In gut microbiota composition, we found that depression and anxiety were characterized by an enrichment of pro-inflammatory bacteria and a depletion of anti-inflammatory SCFAs-producing bacteria. Specifically, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Rikenellaceae, Porphyromonadaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae were more abundant in the depression group, as well as Firmicutes, Prevotellacea and Ruminococcaceae in lower abundance. In the anxiety group, the abundance of Firmicutes, Lachnospira, Faecalibacterium, Sutterella, and Butyricicoccus was lower, while the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Enterobacteriaceae, and Fusobacterium was increased.

conclusionsThe systematic review found that depression and anxiety might be characterized by an enrichment of pro-inflammatory bacteria and the depletion of anti-inflammatory SCFAs-producing bacteria. However, there were conflicting reports on the abundance of bacteria due to confounders such as diet and psychotropic medications. Further studies are strongly suggested. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

AnxietyDepressionDepressive DisorderGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHumansAnxietyDepressionGut microbiotaMicrobiota-gut-brain axisSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40312666
PMCPMC12044767

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.