(Dec. 13, 2016) Probiotics, the live bacteria found in foods such as yogurt and dark chocolate, are known to regulate the body's immune response. This is one of the reasons they are known as "good bacteria." With immune response implicated in mania, the treatment potential of probiotics has become a subject of study.
At the 20th annual convening of Stanley Medical Research Institute (SMRI), researchers last month described a current treatment trial of whether probiotic supplements reduce negative outcomes from mania.
Do Probiotic Supplements Help?
The trial added probiotic supplements or an identical-looking placebo to the existing medications of 66 patients who had been hospitalized for mania at Sheppard Pratt Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The probiotics were given in addition to patients' usual treatment for six months. Outcomes were defined as relapse (rehospitalization), new mood episodes, symptom severity and changes in the level of immune markers in the patient.
By November 28, when the data were presented at the meeting, the compound had proven highly acceptable to patients, with none dropping out of the study because of intolerance to the supplement. Forty-four "serious adverse events" - almost all of them psychiatric rehospitalization - had been recorded. No difference was observed between patients on the probiotic supplements and a control group not receiving them.
The last participant will finish the trial this month, and results will be analyzed in early 2017. The results will determine if probiotics have a beneficial effect for this clinical population.
Is There a Role for Broccoli?
Faith Dickerson, PhD, who heads the Stanley Research Program at Sheppard Pratt Hospital, also described a new placebo-controlled trial of sulforaphane as a treatment for schizophrenia. Sulforaphane is the antioxidant found in Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale and other cruciferous plants recognized for their health benefits.
Because stress on the body's ability to neutralize oxidants is implicated in schizophrenia, the trial will investigate the effect of adding sulforaphane supplements to the existing medication of 64 Sheppard Pratt schizophrenia patients. Outcomes measured will be symptom severity, cognitive functioning and markers in the blood for inflammation and cell damage.
Enrollment in the study began this month, Dickerson said. Data eventually will be submitted to the National Institute of Mental Health National Database for Clinical Trials.
Sheppard Pratt Research
Sheppard Pratt Hospital is a private non-profit psychiatric hospital that admits an estimated 9,000 psychiatric inpatients annually. The Stanley Research program there is funded by SMRI and focuses on goals including:
- Determining the role of infectious agents and other environmental factors in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
- Examining the role of gene-environmental interactions in psychiatric disease development\
- Identifying correlations between cognitive deficits and other clinical characteristics and environmental factors in serious mental illness
- And, ultimately, defining new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of such disorders
Other subjects for planned or ongoing studies funded by SMRI at Sheppard Pratt include:
- Biomarkers associated with suicide attempts
- Predictors of early mortality in serious mental illness
- Association between smoking and inflammatory markers
- Predictors of psychiatric rehospitalization in Sheppard Pratt's clinical populations.
SMRI is the largest funder of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder research outside the US government and a supporting organization of the Treatment Advocacy Center. With little progress in improving the outcomes of serious mental illness, this Maryland-based nonprofit focuses on examining unconventional approaches to treatment.
Doris A. Fuller
Chief of Research and Public Affairs
References:
- Research Weekly. (29 Nov. 2016). Stanley Medical Research Institute: Thinking outside the SMI box. Treatment Advocacy Center.
Next Week: Our Year of Research - 2016
Research Weekly is a summary published as a public service of the Treatment Advocacy Center and does not necessarily reflect the findings or positions of the organization or its staff. Full access to research summarized may require a fee or paid subscription to the publications.
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