Just as a hearty breakfast is vital for a successful day, our gut microbiota plays a crucial role in our overall health. In this study, researchers investigated the connection between post-stroke depression (PSD) and gut microbiota in patients recovering from an acute ischemic stroke. By analyzing fecal samples from these patients, they discovered distinct differences in the composition of gut microbes between those with PSD and those without. Certain microbial species, including Streptococcus, Akkermansia, and Barnesiella, were found to be significantly increased in PSD patients, while others like Escherichia-Shigella, Butyricicoccus, and Holdemanella were decreased. Excitingly, the researchers were able to use these microbial differences as predictive markers for PSD diagnosis. Their microbial biomarker model showed promising results, achieving an accuracy rate of 70.5% in distinguishing between PSD and non-PSD patients. These findings shed light on the potential role of gut microbiota in mental health outcomes after stroke and offer hope for developing novel therapeutic strategies tailored to individual patients based on their microbial signatures.

IntroductionPost-stroke depression (PSD) is the most common emotional problem following a stroke, which requires early diagnosis to improve the prognosis. Gut microbiota plays important role in the pathological mechanisms of acute ischemic stroke and influences the outcome of patients. However, the relationship between PSD and gut microbiota remains unknown. Here, we explored whether the microbial signatures of gut microbiota in the patients with stroke could be an appropriate predictor of PSD.MethodsFecal samples were collected from 232 acute ischemic stroke patients and determined by 16s rRNA sequencing. All patients then received 17-Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) assessment 3 months after discharge, and were further divided into PSD group and non-PSD group. We analyzed the differences of gut microbiota between these groups. To identify gut microbial biomarkers, we then established microbial biomarker model.ResultsOur results showed that the composition of gut microbiota in the PSD patients differed significantly from that in non-PSD patients. The genus Streptococcus, Akkermansia, and Barnesiella were significantly increased in PSD patients compared to non-PSD, while the genus Escherichia-Shigella, Butyricicoccus, and Holdemanella were significantly decreased. Correlation analyses displayed that Akkermansia, Barnesiella, and Pyramidobacter were positively correlated with HAMD score, while Holdemanella was negatively correlated with HAMD score. The optimal microbial markers were determined, and the combination achieved an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.705 to distinguish PSD from non-PSD.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that PSD patients had distinct gut microbiota compared to non-PSD patients, and explore the potential of microbial markers, which might provide clinical decision-making in PSD.

Read Full Article (External Site)