Researchers Find Link Between Gut Microbes And Social Anxiety Disorder

Social phobia can cause fear and anxiety that can lead to avoidance. It can affect your relationships, daily routines, work, school, etc.

Some people experience a lot of discomfort and fear -- akin to a pit in the belly -- when they face the prospect of a social gathering. With the holiday season currently underway, there are bound to be many such gatherings leading up to New Year celebrations. But, new research has found a link between these psychological symptoms and a physiological reason. Apparently, microbes in the gut may play a role in causing social anxiety disorder (SAD) in people.

According to Mayo Clinic, in SAD -- also known as social phobia -- fear and anxiety can lead to "avoidance that can disrupt your life". It can cause "severe stress" that can "affect your relationships, daily routines, work, school or other activities".

Some signs and symptoms can include constant fear of situations in which you may be judged negatively; worry about embarrassing or humiliating yourself; intense fear of interacting or talking with strangers; fear that others will notice that you look anxious; fear of physical symptoms that may cause you embarrassment, such as blushing, sweating, trembling or having a shaky voice; avoidance of doing things or speaking to people; avoidance of situations where you might be the centre of attention; anxiety in anticipation of a feared activity or event; intense fear or anxiety during social situations; analysis of your performance and identification of flaws in your interactions after a social situation; expectation of the worst possible consequences from a negative experience during a social situation.

But now, with this new research, there is a possibility of correct assessment and appropriate therapy to alleviate the symptoms. According to a Guardian report, scientists had previously found that the gut microbiome differs for people who have SAD, as compared with healthy individuals. In addition to that, a growing body of research has also revealed microbes in the gut can influence the brain, and vice-versa.

Now, when microbes from the guts of people with SAD were transplanted into mice, they had an "increased response to social fear", researchers found. Prof. John Cryan, a co-author of the research from University College Cork, was quoted by The Guardian as stating that while it was known that genetics, environment and other factors could also play a role in disorders like SAD, the new work highlighted the importance of gut flora. "The main point is we need to look after our microbes, especially throughout development and even in adulthood, to keep the social brain working appropriately," he was quoted as saying.

For the research, Cryan and his colleagues reportedly took faecal samples from six healthy persons and six persons suffering from SAD; DNA analyses confirmed the gut microbiome differed considerably.

The samples were transferred into laboratory mice, and results revealed the mice who had received gut microbes from people with SAD had different levels of three bacterial species in their faeces than those who had received gut microbes from healthy people. The former appeared to be fearful of approaching other mice.

"Both oxytocin, a key hormone involved in bonding, and the immune system have previously been implicated in social behaviour, therefore, it was good to see changes in these occurred in animals that received the SAD microbiota," Cryan was quoted as saying.