This episode focuses on the microbiome and how it is increasingly linked to disease and illness. It seems this is true for understanding the illness of the body and the brain. Dr Amir Minerbi, the Deputy Director of the Institute for Pain Medicine at Rambam Medical Center, talks to us about how the microbiome may hold the secrets of fibromyalgia. This chronic disorder causes widespread pain, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and potentially dozens of other symptoms.

We are also joined by Prof Illana Gozes, Director of Elton Laboratory for Molecular Neuroendocrinology in the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. She elaborates on her research surrounding the role of specific microbiota signatures as a biomarker for PTSD.

Show notes

Minerbi, Amir, Gonzalez, Emmanuel, Brereton, Nicholas, Fitzcharles, Mary-Anna, Chevalier, Stéphanieh, Shir, Yorama. (2022) ‘Altered serum bile acid profile in fibromyalgia is associated with specific gut microbiome changes and symptom severity’, PAIN Vol.10 (1097). doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002694.

Levert-Levitt E, Shapira G, Sragovich S, Shomron N, Lam JCK, Li VOK, Heimesaat MM, Bereswill S, Yehuda AB, Sagi-Schwartz A, Solomon Z, Gozes I. (2022) ‘Oral microbiota signatures in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) veterans,’ Mol Psychiatry. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01704-6.

Transcript