rTMS ameliorates depressive-like behaviors and regulates the gut microbiome and medium- and long-chain fatty acids in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress

• Published in: CNS neuroscience & therapeutics Vol. 29; no. 11; pp. 3549 - 3566
• Main Authors: Zhou, Cui-Hong, Chen, Yi-Huan, Xue, Shan-Shan, Shi, Qing-Qing, Guo, Lin, Yu, Huan, Xue, Fen, Cai, Min, Wang, Hua-Ning, Peng, Zheng-Wu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.11.2023; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Antidepressants; Behavior; Digestive system; Fatty acids; FDA approval; Feces; Hippocampus; Intestinal microflora; Laboratory animals; Lipids; Magnetic fields; Mental depression; Metabolism; Metabolites; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Original; Pathophysiology; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Prefrontal cortex; Sucrose; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Transplants & implants; Variance analysis; medium- and long-chain fatty acids; rTMS; gut microbiota; CUMS
• ISSN: 1755-5930; 1755-5949
• DOI: 10.1111/cns.14287

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a clinically useful therapy for depression. However, the effects of rTMS on the metabolism of fatty acids (FAs) and the composition of gut microbiota in depression are not well established. Mice received rTMS (15 Hz, 1.26 T) for seven consecutive days after exposure to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). The subsequent depressive-like behaviors, the composition of gut microbiota of stool samples, as well as medium- and long-chain fatty acids (MLCFAs) in the plasma, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus (HPC) were evaluated. CUMS induced remarkable changes in gut microbiotas and fatty acids, specifically in community diversity of gut microbiotas and PUFAs in the brain. 15 Hz rTMS treatment alleviates depressive-like behaviors and partially normalized CUMS induced alterations of microbiotas and MLCFAs, especially the abundance of Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteriota, and levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the hippocampus and PFC. These findings revealed that the modulation of gut microbiotas and PUFAs metabolism might partly contribute to the antidepressant effect of rTMS.