Following a recent study, scientists at a university in Canada have discovered that both anxiety and depression could be linked to the presence of bacteria in the intestines.

In tests carried out on laboratory mice, results revealed that behaviour associated with anxiety and depression was caused by the level of exposure to stress in their earlier life, which only seemed to be triggered if microbes were present in the intestine.

Many tests have been carried out in the past in order to assess a link between psychological disorders and bacteria in the gut.

However, the latest study looked at mice that had been exposed to a stressful experience – like being apart from their mothers – during the earliest parts of their lives, unlike other studies.

The affected mice went on to mature as individuals that displayed anxiety and depression-like behaviour, and they also had abnormal amounts of corticosterone, the stress hormone, in their blood.

Following the findings of the study, scientists involved with the project have called for additional research to be conducted, to see if their study’s discovery with mice can also be applied to humans.

It has also highlighted the possibility of investigating into whether or not there could be treatments that target intestinal microbes, to see if they can help patients that have a range of psychiatric disorders.

More information regarding the study is available in the journal Nature Communications.