From:  Therapeutic role of probiotics in motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

 Experimental studies showing cognitive symptoms improvement induced by probiotic interventions in PD.

Study (year)Probiotic(s)DurationDose/PresentationCognitive outcome
Human studies
Sun et al. (2022) [82]Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Probio-M8 (Probio-M8), Benserazide3 months3 × 1010 CFU/dailyMMSE scores were greater in the Probio-M8 group than in the placebo group at baseline (p < 0.001), 1 month (p < 0.001), and 3 months (p = 0.042).
In vivo studies of animals
Valvaikar et al. (2024) [100]Bifidobacterium breve Bif1121 days1 × 1010 CFU dailyIt was reported that PD rats had lower cognitive performance in the maze test, and when treated with Bif11, their working memory improved significantly (p = 0.001).
Nosrani et al. (2021) [59]Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus fermentum14 days2 × 109 CFU of each strain/day, oral administrationIn 6-OHDA PD rats, decreased escape latency in the Morris water maze (p < 0.0001) and increased time in the target quadrant during probe trial (p < 0.0001), indicating improved spatial learning and memory.
Xie et al. (2020) [95]Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HA-1146 weeksRehydrated with distilled water; initial concentration 1 × 109 CFU/mL, reduced to 1 × 108 CFU/mL from day 5; provided in drinking water, changed every 2 daysNovel Object Recognition (hippocampal-independent, 5 min retention): all groups showed good memory retention (sham + probiotics: p = 0.001; PD + placebo: p = 0.031; PD + probiotics: p < 0.001). Novel Place Recognition (hippocampal-dependent, 5 min retention): PD + placebo group impaired: p = 0.62; PD + probiotics group restored memory retention: p = 0.032.

PD: Parkinson’s disease; MMSE: Mini-Mental State Examination; 6-OHDA: 6-hydroxydopamine.