Associations between impulsivity and fecal microbiota in individuals abstaining from methamphetamine

Abstract

IntroductionMethamphetamine (MA) abuse is a major public problem, and impulsivity is both a prominent risk factor and a consequence of addiction. Hence, clarifying the biological mechanism of impulsivity may facilitate the understanding of addiction to MA. The microbiota–gut–brain axis was suggested to underlie a biological mechanism of impulsivity induced by MA.MethodsWe therefore recruited 62 MA addicts and 50 healthy controls (HCs) to investigate the alterations in impulsivity and fecal microbiota and the associations between them in the MA group. Thereafter, 25 MA abusers who abstained from MA for less than 3 months were followed up for 2 months to investigate the relationship between impulsivity and microbiota as abstinence became longer. 16S rRNA sequencing was conducted for microbiota identification.ResultsElevated impulsivity and dysbiosis characterized by an increase in opportunistic pathogens and a decrease in probiotics were identified in MA abusers, and both the increased impulsivity and disrupted microbiota tended to recover after longer abstinence from MA. Impulsivity was related to microbiota, and the effect of MA abuse on impulsivity was mediated by microbiota.ConclusionOur findings potentially highlighted the importance of abstention and implicated the significant role of the microbiota–gut–brain axis in the interrelationship between microbiota and behaviors, as well as the potential of microbiota as a target for intervention of impulsivity.