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Researchers at the University of Coimbra in Portugal recently investigated whether gut microbes from people with schizophrenia could affect behavior and immune activity in mice. Their findings, published in Translational Psychiatry, hint at a possible immune connection between the gut and brain.

Schizophrenia is an often debilitating psychiatric disorder that can disrupt people's thinking, perception and behavior. While genetic and environmental factors can contribute to its emergence, researchers are still trying to understand its underlying biological processes.

Previous studies have identified differences in the gut microbiome, the community of microorganisms living in the intestine, of people with schizophrenia. Yet how these differences might influence brain function still needs further investigation.

In their new study, the team collected stool samples from three people with schizophrenia and three healthy donors. They then fed young mice gelatin portions containing material from individual donors repeatedly over a period of five weeks.

The mice already had their own gut microbial communities, so the transferred material entered an already established environment. The researchers then compared animals receiving samples from people with schizophrenia with healthy-donor recipients and untreated mice.

To assess their behavior, the team introduced the mice into a T-shaped maze. Each mouse explored one arm of the maze, took a brief break and then returned. Mice receiving schizophrenia-donor samples were less likely to choose the other arm than animals in either comparison group.

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