The Effect of Gut Brain Axis on Neurologic Diseases and Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

Neurologic and psychiatric diseases represent a huge health burden, as they impact many individuals worldwide irrespective of social class or age. Evidence suggests that these disorders represent approximately 12% of diseases globally. Human and animal models have been used to assess the impact of the gut-brain axis (GBA) communication pathways in the disorders' multi-causal perspective. Various mechanisms have been suggested; nevertheless, systematic reviews focusing on the latest developments in the area are minimal. This paper systematically reviews the influence of the gut-brain axis on psychiatric disorders and neurologic diseases. Using PRISMA 2020 Checklist, the findings reaffirm the microbiota-GBA bidirectional communication and its role in influencing various neuropsychiatric diseases. Understanding these mechanisms could be crucial in developing novel and targeted treatment approaches to treat these disorders for health practitioners. Besides, policymakers should come up with guidelines to regulate such interventions. However, the included evidence and the processes adopted were not without limitations; for this reason, future studies should address them.