Impact of and Human Microbiome on Suicidal Behavior: A Systematic Review

Overview

Journal J Clin Med

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2024 Jan 26

PMID 38276099

Authors

Ani Zerekidze

Meng Li

Alexander Refisch

Justina Shameya

Thomas Sobanski

Martin Walter

Gerd Wagner

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Suicide remains a persistent global health challenge, resisting widespread prevention efforts. According to previous findings, toxoplasmosis is particularly associated with altered decision making, which could lead to risk-taking behavior, thereby increasing the likelihood for suicidal behavior (SB). In addition, discussion about the role of microbiome in psychiatric disorders has emerged lately, which also makes it relevant to investigate its role in the context of SB. Therefore, two systematic reviews are integrated in this paper, and the existing knowledge is comprehensively summarized regarding the association between microbial pathogens and SB.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search with keywords including SB and (Suicid* AND Toxoplasm*) and microbiome (Suicid* AND Microbiome AND Microbiota) throughout PubMed and Scopus to retrieve related studies up to 9 November 2023, identifying 24 eligible records. The subjects of the included studies had to have fulfilled the criteria of an SB disorder as defined by DSM-5, and death cases needed to have been defined as suicide.

Results: Most studies reported significant association between toxoplasmosis and SB, suggesting a higher likelihood of SB in the infected population. Regarding the microbiome, only very few studies investigated an association between SB and alterations in the microbiome. Based on six included studies, there were some indications of a link between changes in the microbiome and SB.

Conclusion: The cognitive aspects of decision making in -infected individuals with SB should be further investigated to unravel the underlying mechanisms. Further sufficiently powered studies are needed to establish a link between SB and alterations in the microbiome.

Citing Articles

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PMID: 40072296 PMC: 11898878. DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.70129.

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