The gut microbiota plays a significant role in the microbiome-gut-brain axis by producing metabolites that potentially affect neurotransmission, immune response, and behavior. Understanding which members of the gut microbiome metabolize neuroactive compounds and the distribution of associated pathways in metagenomes is essential for comprehending its impact on mental health. However, current methods in microbiome research are limited in their ability to fully characterize the neuroactive potential of the gut microbiome. To address this limitation, we have developed GBM2 (Gut-Brain Modules 2), a computational pipeline that includes over 180 curated metabolic pathways as an expansion of (REF). These pathways are associated with well-known neuroactive and immunomodulatory metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), derivatives from tryptophan, tyrosine, arginine, and glutamate metabolism and emerging compounds from vitamin and bile acid metabolism.
We plan to use GBM2 to systematically analyze metagenomes from more than 20 cohorts with populations affected by neuropathologies. These cohorts were identified through a systematic literature search. We wish to include the Lifelines population in our meta-analysis, helping to ensure robust and reproducible findings across various neuropathologies.
This research aims to enhance our understanding of the gut microbiome's role in mental health and potentially inform future therapeutic approaches targeting the gutbrain axis