Perspective - (2025) Volume 14, Issue 4
Received: 01-Jul-2025, Manuscript No. aim-25-177765;
Editor assigned: 03-Jul-2025, Pre QC No. P-177765;
Reviewed: 17-Jul-2025, QC No. Q-177765;
Revised: 22-Jul-2025, Manuscript No. R-177765;
Published:
29-Jul-2025
, DOI: 10.37421/2427-5162.2025.14.584
Citation: Tanaka, Hiroshi. ”Gut-Brain Axis: Diverse Therapies for Brain Health.” Alt Integr Med 14 (2025):584.
Copyright: © 2025 Tanaka H. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The gut-brain axis, a complex bidirectional communication system, significantly influences neurological and psychiatric disorders. This article elucidates how microbial modulators and their metabolites are critical in shaping brain function and behavior. It highlights the potential for targeted microbial interventions, like probiotics and prebiotics, to restore gut microbiota balance. Such strategies show promise in alleviating symptoms of various brain-related conditions, underscoring the need for further clinical application [1].
Dietary interventions offer a powerful means to enhance brain health by targeting the gut-brain axis. This paper reviews specific dietary patterns and components, including fiber, polyphenols, and omega-3 fatty acids, that modulate gut microbiota. These modulations subsequently impact neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter production, and overall cognitive and emotional well-being. The article emphasizes a holistic dietary approach as a cornerstone for neurological wellness [2].
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) utilizes the gut-brain axis for treating neurological diseases. This review details various TCM therapies, such as herbal formulas and acupuncture, which modulate gut microbiota, reduce neuroinflammation, and improve neuronal function. TCM offers unique integrative strategies for managing conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and stroke by optimizing gut health through ancient wisdom [3].
Emerging research connects mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) with the gut microbiota-brain axis. Practices like meditation reduce stress, leading to beneficial alterations in gut microbiome composition and function. This modulation can decrease systemic and neuroinflammation, positively impacting mood, cognition, and symptoms in various neurological and psychiatric conditions. This highlights a non-pharmacological pathway to profound wellness [4].
Exercise is a significant intervention for neurological disorders, acting through the gut-brain axis. A systematic review demonstrates that physical activity reshapes gut microbiota, increasing beneficial bacterial populations and neuroactive metabolite production. This leads to reduced neuroinflammation, enhanced neurogenesis, and improved neurological outcomes. Exercise is thus a vital component of integrative neurological care, offering broad therapeutic benefits [5].
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is a promising therapeutic approach for neurological disorders by targeting the gut-brain axis. This review summarizes how FMT restores gut microbiome diversity, rebalances microbial communities, and introduces beneficial metabolites. These influences affect brain function, neurotransmission, and immune responses. FMT's potential in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and autism spectrum disorder is actively being explored [6].
Polyphenols play a crucial role in modulating the gut-brain axis to alleviate neurological disorders. This paper details how plant-derived polyphenols are metabolized by gut microbes, yielding bioactive compounds. These compounds exert neuroprotective effects, reduce oxidative stress, and mitigate neuroinflammation. Dietary polyphenols thus represent a natural, integrative strategy to support brain health and prevent neurodegeneration effectively [7].
The connection between omega-3 fatty acids and the gut-brain axis is critical, especially concerning neurological disorders. This review outlines how omega-3s, through anti-inflammatory properties and gut microbiota modulation, contribute to neuronal health, synaptic plasticity, and mood regulation. Omega-3 supplementation is emphasized as a key integrative intervention to support brain function and mitigate neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions [8].
Integrative lifestyle interventions profoundly optimize gut-brain axis function for neurological health. This article covers how diet, exercise, stress management, and sleep synergistically influence the gut microbiome. This in turn affects neuroinflammation, cognitive function, and mental well-being. The authors advocate for a multi-faceted approach to lifestyle modification as a foundational strategy for comprehensive neurological wellness [9].
The gut-brain axisâ??s complex role in neuroinflammation and emerging integrative therapeutic strategies are explored in this review. Gut dysbiosis can trigger systemic and neuroinflammation, contributing to neurodegenerative diseases. Interventions like prebiotics, probiotics, dietary adjustments, and natural compounds modulate gut microbiota and dampen inflammatory pathways, offering new avenues for managing neurological conditions effectively [10].
The study of microbial modulators within the gut-brain axis reveals profound insights into neurological and psychiatric disorder pathogenesis. This particular article emphasizes the essential contribution of gut microbes and their metabolites to brain function and behavior. It advocates for tailored microbial interventions, such as the strategic use of probiotics and prebiotics, to re-establish a healthy gut microbiota. These targeted approaches offer substantial potential for alleviating diverse brain-related symptoms, urging further clinical validation [1]. Dietary strategies present a highly effective pathway to leverage the gut-brain axis for improved cerebral well-being. This publication scrutinizes specific dietary patterns and componentsâ??including crucial elements like fiber, various polyphenols, and omega-3 fatty acidsâ??known to significantly influence gut microbiota composition and functionality. Such modulations are shown to impact neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter synthesis, and overall cognitive and emotional stability, advocating for a comprehensive nutritional strategy for neurological health [2]. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers time-honored approaches that intersect with modern understandings of the gut-brain axis in treating neurological conditions. This review meticulously details how diverse TCM therapies, ranging from specialized herbal concoctions to precise acupuncture, actively engage in modulating the gut microbiota. By reducing inflammation in the nervous system and enhancing neuronal activity, TCM provides unique, holistic methods for managing debilitating conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and stroke, by prioritizing optimal gut integrity [3]. The burgeoning field of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) is increasingly linked to beneficial effects on the gut microbiota-brain axis. This paper illustrates how contemplative practices, such as meditation, are instrumental in reducing psychological stress, which consequently induces advantageous shifts in the gut microbiome's structure and activity. These microbiome alterations demonstrably lead to diminished systemic and neuroinflammation, fostering positive impacts on mood, cognitive functions, and the severity of symptoms in various neurological and psychiatric illnesses [4]. Physical exercise stands out as a potent intervention in the management of neurological disorders, mediated significantly by the gut-brain axis. This systematic review synthesizes compelling evidence that regular physical activity fundamentally alters gut microbiota composition. This shift promotes the proliferation of beneficial bacteria and the production of neuroactive metabolites. These changes collectively reduce neuroinflammation, stimulate new neuron growth, and improve neurological outcomes, positioning exercise as an indispensable part of integrated neurological care [5]. Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is positioned as an innovative and promising therapeutic avenue for neurological disorders, specifically by influencing the gut-brain axis. This review meticulously outlines the mechanisms by which FMT re-establishes gut microbiome diversity, corrects microbial imbalances, and introduces beneficial metabolic compounds. These actions are shown to directly impact brain function, neurotransmitter pathways, and immune responses, highlighting FMT's therapeutic potential for conditions such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and autism spectrum disorders [6]. Polyphenols, abundant in plant-based diets, are undergoing rigorous investigation for their capacity to modulate the gut-brain axis and mitigate neurological disorders. This research details the fascinating process where gut microbes metabolize plant-derived polyphenols into bioactive compounds. These metabolites subsequently demonstrate robust neuroprotective properties, effectively combating oxidative stress and significantly reducing neuroinflammation. The findings underscore polyphenols' potential as a natural, integrated strategy for supporting brain health and preventing neurodegeneration [7]. A pivotal relationship exists between omega-3 fatty acids and the gut-brain axis, particularly relevant to neurological health. This review elaborates on how omega-3s, through their well-established anti-inflammatory effects and ability to modify the gut microbiota, are crucial for supporting neuronal health, enhancing synaptic plasticity, and regulating mood. Emphasizing omega-3 supplementation, the article frames it as a core integrative intervention for bolstering brain function and attenuating the progression of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions [8]. The concept of integrative lifestyle interventions proves crucial for optimizing the gut-brain axis and promoting overall neurological health. This article explores how a combined approach encompassing optimal diet, consistent exercise, effective stress management, and restorative sleep profoundly impacts the gut microbiome. These lifestyle factors, in turn, exert significant influence over neuroinflammation, cognitive capabilities, and mental well-being. The authors champion this multi-faceted strategy as a foundational pillar for enduring neurological wellness [9]. This comprehensive review meticulously examines the complex involvement of the gut-brain axis in the pathophysiology of neuroinflammation and evaluates innovative integrative therapeutic approaches. It elucidates how an imbalance in gut microbiota, termed dysbiosis, can initiate widespread systemic and neuroinflammation, thereby contributing to various neurodegenerative diseases. The paper spotlights interventions such as prebiotics, probiotics, targeted dietary changes, and specific natural compounds that effectively modulate gut microbiota and suppress inflammatory pathways, offering new therapeutic directions [10].
The gut-brain axis is a critical bidirectional communication pathway profoundly impacting neurological and psychiatric health. Recent research highlights diverse integrative strategies that target this axis for therapeutic benefit. Microbial modulators, including probiotics and prebiotics, are shown to restore gut balance, alleviating symptoms across various brain conditions. Dietary interventions, emphasizing fiber, polyphenols, and omega-3 fatty acids, effectively modulate gut microbiota, reducing neuroinflammation and enhancing cognitive and emotional well-being. Traditional Chinese Medicine, through herbal formulas and acupuncture, also modulates gut flora, offering unique approaches for conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Mindfulness practices, exercise, and fecal microbiota transplantation further demonstrate efficacy by altering gut composition, reducing stress, and fostering neurogenesis. Polyphenols and omega-3 fatty acids specifically provide neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and mood-regulating effects. Collectively, these lifestyle and therapeutic interventions underscore the importance of gut health in mitigating neuroinflammation, improving neuronal function, and supporting overall brain health. A multi-faceted approach, combining diet, exercise, stress management, and targeted microbial interventions, is essential for optimizing gut-brain axis function and achieving comprehensive neurological wellness.
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