Analysis identifies gut microbes and GABA potential aiding recovery from methamphetamine addiction, suggesting psychobiotics might help.
Abstract Methamphetamine addiction is rising globally, burdening healthcare systems. With limited treatments beyond abstinence, psychobiotics offer potential aid in recovery. This study aims to identify potential psychobiotics from individuals withdrawing from methamphetamine, focusing on GABA-producing microbes as psychotherapy. We analysed stool samples from 32 individuals withdrawing from methamphetamine (average age 27.34 ± 4.22; range 18–35) and 64 healthy controls (average age 18.84 ± 6.90; range 13–37) using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to compare gut microbiota differences linked to addiction. Significant differences in microbial diversity were observed between groups, specifically in α-diversity (Chao1, p-value < 0.05) and β-diversity (Bray-Curtis, p-value = 0.001). Statistical analysis revealed potential biomarkers, including GABA-producing Lactococcus and Weissella based on association with recovery profiles. Functional prediction and genome analyses demonstrated pathways related to glutamate and GABA in the withdrawing individuals. Psychobiotics may offer alternative to support mental health and recovery from methamphetamine addiction by targeting gut microbiota.
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Kiraman et al. (2025) studied this question.
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