Schizophrenia-associated gut microbiota are linked to reduced colonic PRODH expression and behavioral changes in mice

Gut microbiota from patients with schizophrenia, transplanted into male C57BL/6N mice, was associated with impaired short-term recognition memory, reduced social novelty preference, and decreased prepulse inhibition, alongside reduced colonic Prodh expression and elevated plasma proline. A five-species consortium found in the donor microbiome reproduced the behavioral changes, reduced PRODH expression, and hyperprolinemia when given orally. The work links schizophrenia-associated microbiota to altered intestinal proline metabolism and behavior in mice.