Biological Signature and Safety of an Immunomodulatory Probiotic Intervention for Veterans with PTSD

Many Veterans of the post-9/11 era experienced traumatic events during their service. As a result, this population has high rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. PTSD is complex, but there is evidence that some of the symptoms can be affected by the bacteria that live in our gut, also called the gut microbiome. We want to find new ways to treat PTSD, and one of those ways may be by giving Veterans “good” bacteria in the form of a probiotic pill. We are interested in examining how taking probiotics affects the gut microbiome, and observing if changes in the microbiome affect how Veterans with PTSD react to stress.

 

 

Probiotics Fact Sheet

 

Probiotics: What You Need To Know

Veterans from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were enrolled in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) that supported the feasibility, acceptability and safety of a probiotic intervention (Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938) Link to reference.

Many Veterans of the post-9/11 era experienced traumatic events during their service. As a result, this population has high rates of PTSD. PTSD is complex, and there is evidence that some symptoms can be affected by the bacteria that live in our gut, also called the gut microbiome. We want to find new ways to treat PTSD, and one of those ways may be by giving Veterans "good" bacteria in the form of a probiotic pill. We are interested in examining how taking probiotics affects the gut microbiome, and observing if changes in the microbiome affect how Veterans with PTSD react to stress. Inflammation is thought to play an important role in stress, and we are testing the use of probiotics to reduce inflammation. We describe the rationale, design, and methods of a RCT of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG; ATCC 53103) for PTSD. Link to reference.

This research study is supported by the National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AT010005. The content of this website is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.