Koh, Gar YeeRenteria, KarisaConstantine, EthanTeoh, Chin MayCooper, Analynn2023-05-102023-05-102023-04Koh, G. Y., Renteria, K. M., Constantine, E., Teoh, C. M., & Cooper, A. (2023). Modulation of vitamin D status by gut microbiota: Impact on depression and anxiety-related behavior in adult C57BL/6J mice. Poster presented at the Health Scholar Showcase, Translational Health Research Center, San Marcos, Texas.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/16746Depression and anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health disorders that affect U.S. adults today (1). As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, symptoms of both disorders were exacerbated globally (2). In addition to the classic role of vitamin D (VD) in bone health, suboptimal levels of VD has shown to increase risk for inflammation, immune function, and cognitive function. Individuals diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression, frequently have suboptimal levels of VD due to limited sun exposure related to seasonal changes and/or low dietary intake. Vitamin D plays a vital role in physiological functions like mitigating inflammatory status and restores calcium and neurotransmitter imbalance (3). Along with VD, growing evidence suggests gut microbiota likely play a role in neuropsychiatric disorders (4, 5) as supplementation with pre- and probiotic has shown to alleviate mental health disorders (6). To date, the mechanisms by which VD alleviate depression and anxiety-related symptoms and whether the protective effect is dependent on gut microbiota remains unclear.Image1 page1 file (.pdf)endepressionanxietygut microbiotavitamin DPoster