Gut mycobiome and neuropsychiatric disorders: insights and therapeutic potential - PMC
/PMC/2026
Why It Matters
Everyone talks about gut bacteria, but fungi might matter too — and we're just starting to understand how. This caught my attention because if fungal imbalances affect mood and cognition, it opens new intervention points beyond probiotics. That said, this is a review paper synthesizing existing research, not new data, so treat it as hypothesis-generating rather than actionable.
Key Findings
- The gut mycobiome (fungal community) communicates with the brain through immune signaling, metabolite production, and interactions with the gut barrier
- Fungal dysbiosis has been associated with depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, and neurodegenerative conditions in observational studies
- Common fungal species like Candida can produce neuroactive compounds and trigger inflammatory responses that may affect brain function
- Antifungal treatments and dietary interventions targeting fungi show preliminary promise but lack rigorous clinical trials in psychiatric populations
- The field is hampered by inconsistent methodology for measuring the mycobiome and limited understanding of cause versus correlation
Read the Paper↗PMC11750820