It's Depression Mode. I'm John Moe. I'm glad you're here.

That's right, Guy in that Thomas Dolby song, Science. We have some science information on the show today. That might help you. A bit later, you may have heard the term TMS on this podcast

or other mental health circles in the past. Maybe you even know the basics of it, but we have

a deep explainer on what transcranial magnetic stimulation is, what it does, how effective it is,

everything you need to know. First, though, your guts.

Specifically, how your gut microbiome is connected to your mental health. There's a new study that

indicates a very clear link between the gut microbiome, the assembly of tiny bacteria in your gut,

and how well you handle stress. According to the

research, there are distinct signatures in the gut microbiomes of people who are especially resilient

to stress. People who roll with stress more easily have gut microbiome traits in common. These people,

these resilient stress managers, had better gut barrier

integrity. That barrier is a membrane that blocks harmful toxins and bad microorganism from

getting into your system and messing you up. These people had a stronger fence, a thicker

force field, meaning fewer harmful things get in there,

which led to less inflammation. And inflammation activates stress signals to the brain, and you feel that,

and I think you know how that feels. All this is important because it shows a clearer path

between the gut and the mind, which scientists have been establishing

a lot in recent years. Those two things talk together a lot more than we ever thought they did.

And this research could mean better treatments and therapies for managing stress and for other

mental health issues. Dr. Aparna Church led the study. She's the co-director of the

Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA.

Dr. Aparna Church, welcome to Depression Mode. Thank you for having me.

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