Abstract Summary:

• The study investigated the connection between gut microbiota (GM) and behavior changes, focusing on the role of magnesium deficiency. It highlighted that a magnesium-restricted diet could induce anxiety and depressive-like behavior, potentially mediated by altered GM.

Methods Used:

• The experiment involved feeding C57BL/6 mice either a standard diet or a magnesium-deficient diet (MgD) for six weeks.
• Behavioral testing was conducted using the forced swim test (FST) to evaluate depressive-like behavior.
• An intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (GTT) was performed for assessing metabolic changes.
• Neuroinflammatory markers were analyzed from the hippocampus, and GM composition was correlated to behavior and hippocampal markers.

Results:

• Mice on the MgD diet showed more immobility in the FST, indicating increased depressive-like behavior.
• There was no significant difference in GTT results.
• GM composition positively correlated with behavior in undisturbed mice, and the MgD diet altered the microbial composition.
• The altered GM was positively correlated with hippocampal interleukin-6.

Conclusion:

• The study hypothesizes that imbalances in the microbiota-gut-brain axis, induced by a magnesium-deficient diet, contribute to the development of depressive-like behavior

DOI: 10.1017/neu.2015.7