Associations of the Gut Microbiome With Treatment Resistance in Schizophrenia.

Importance: There is growing interest in the role of gut microbiome composition in schizophrenia. However, lifestyle factors are often neglected, and few studies have investigated microbiome composition in treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Objective: To explore associations between the gut microbiome and schizophrenia diagnosis, treatment resistance, clozapine response, and treatment-related adverse effects while adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors.

Does the gut microbiome mediate antipsychotic-induced metabolic side effects in schizophrenia?

Introduction: Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are the most effective treatment for people with schizophrenia. Despite their effectiveness in treating psychotic symptoms, they have been linked to metabolic, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal side-effects. The gut microbiome has been implicated in potentiating symptoms of schizophrenia, response to treatment, and medication-induced side effects and thus presents a novel target mediating second-generation antipsychotic-induced side effects in patients.