COVID-19 Social Distancing April Update: We hope you are managing during this difficult period. Tips on managing feelings of stress, anxiety and distress are available here.
Please note that the Bugs and Brains Study has finalized recruitment for Phases 2 and 3, involving the interview assessment and collection of biological specimens. Recruitment for the online questionnaire-only component of the study is still ongoing. Please contact us here if you would like further information about participating or have any questions.
There is growing interest in the link between the human microbiome (i.e., bacteria that live in our bodies) and human health. The Bugs and Brains Study is aiming to better understand the role of the microbiome, particularly in relation to some common mental and physical health conditions. We are also interested in learning about how the microbiome is related to biological functions (such as levels of hormones and inflammation), stress, and wellbeing. Please click on the Background tab for detailed background information about the study.
Participation in the Bugs and Brains Study involves the completion of online questionnaires, an interview, and the collection of faecal, urine, saliva, and hair samples. Participants who do not meet the eligibility criteria for, or would prefer not to take part in, the biological samples, will be asked to complete the online questionnaires only.
The main aim of the Bugs and Brains Study is to compare the microbial and physiological profiles of four groups of people:
- healthy adult women
- women with depression &/or anxiety disorders (who are not currently taking anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication),
- women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and
- women with both depression &/or anxiety and IBS.
While we have completed recruitment of participants who fit into these four groups, we are still inviting females aged 18-40 to complete the questionnaire-only component of our study. Click on the "Am I Eligible' to find out more.
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Contact us
Contact the Bugs and Brains Study by clicking here.
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Health concerns
If you have concerns about your physical or mental health, please contact your GP, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. General health information can be found at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au. General mental health information can be found at www.beyondblue.org.au. In case of emergency, please call 000 immediately.
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Funding information
Funding for this study was received through the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences.
Recent research has revealed that bacteria that live within and on the body play both a central and critical role in normal physiological function. While many bacteria appear benign, and others can cause disease, many provide benefit to us, helping us digest food and producing chemicals important to our health. It appears likely that humans and other animals, having evolved with a significant bacterial exposure on all surfaces (including our digestive and reproductive tracts), have come to rely on bacteria for a range of biological functions.
Studies specifically examining bacteria are limited, and particularly in humans. However, evidence supports a complex interaction between bacteria, the environment (including the digestive tract and the food it contains), the gut wall, and physiological processes (including immune and endocrine regulation). An altered, or ‘dysbiotic’, bacterial community in the gut has been linked with a range of disorders, and include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.
In this project, we ask participants to provide information about their diet, and physical and mental health, and (for those eligible) provide a small faecal sample (for bacterial and metabolic assays), urine sample (for metabolic assays), saliva samples (for bacterial, metabolic, endocrine and immune assays), and a small hair sample (for endocrine assays).
“Where participants take part in the biological sample components, we will compare the bacterial and physiological profiles of four different types of participants: 1) healthy women; 2) women with depression &/or anxiety disorders; 3) women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); and, 4) women with both depression &/or anxiety and IBS.”
This is the first project worldwide to compare the human bacterial and physiological profiles of healthy adults, adults with depression &/or anxiety disorders, adults with IBS, and adults with comorbid depression &/or anxiety and IBS.
Please note, while we have finalized full study recruitment, you may be eligible for the questionnaire-only sub-study, investigating associations between diet, and physical and mental health. Click on the 'Am I Eligible' tab above to find out more.
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Contact us
Contact the Bugs and Brains Study by clicking here.
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Health concerns
If you have concerns about your physical or mental health, please contact your GP, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. General health information can be found at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au. General mental health information can be found at www.beyondblue.org.au. In case of emergency, please call 000 immediately.
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Funding information
Funding for this study was received through the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences.
COVID-19 Social Distancing April Update:
We hope you are managing during this difficult period. Tips on managing feelings of stress, anxiety and distress are available here.
Please note that the Bugs and Brains Study has finalized recruitment for Phases 2 and 3, involving the interview assessment and collection of biological specimens. Recruitment for the online questionnaire-only component of the study is still ongoing. Please contact us here if you would like further information about participating or have any questions.
The Bugs and Brains Study is made up of four phases; an online screening questionnaire, an interview, collection of biological samples, and further online questionnaires. These phases are briefly described below. Please note that full study recruitment has been finalized but you may still be eligible to participate in Phases 1 and 4 comprising the questionnaire-only sub study.
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Phase 1 - Online Screening Questionnaire
We will send you a link to an online screening questionnaire. The questionnaire will ask about your demographic details, medication use, substance use, medical health, mental health, and gut health. You can complete this questionnaire online at a location of your choosing. It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
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Phase 2 - Interview with a Researcher
In this phase, we will invite you to complete an interview at the University of Melbourne, asking detailed questions about your mental health, mood, and behaviours. This interview can take up to 2 – 3 hours, however will be less than 2 hours for most people. You can complete the interview via video call (Skype or Facetime) or telephone if you are unable to attend in person.
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Phase 3 - Collection of Biological Samples
Phase 3 involves collection of biological samples over a 48-hour period. If you are invited to participate in this phase you will be sent faecal, urine, and saliva collection kits. Detailed collection and storage instructions will be provided by a researcher to make it as clean and easy as possible.
The faecal, urine and saliva samples will all be collected by you in private at your home, and stored in your freezer. We will provide materials to make this sterile and safe.
We will visit you at home to pick up the biological samples. During this home visit, we will also ask to collect a small sample of your hair. The hair will be cut close to the scalp (an area about the size of 10 cent piece), and come from the back of your head (so that your hair covers the small patch left). We will show you before and after pictures of others who have had the collection done, to help you decide if you wish to provide this sample. If you have short hair (less than 3cm long), we will advise you against providing this sample, as it may leave a visible gap in your hair. Finally, during this home visit, we will ask to take a measurement of your height, weight, and waist circumference. To do this, we will ask you to remove your shoes, hat, jumpers, items in your pockets, etc. Measurement of your waist circumference is ideally measured against the skin, and requires a researcher to identify the bottom of your rib cage and the top of your hip bone. However, if you are not comfortable with this, the measurement can be conducted over a layer of light clothing. All the measurements will be taken by a female researcher.
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Phase 4 - Online Questionnaires
Phase 4 is completed in conjunction with Phase 3. At the same time as you are sent the biological sample collection kits, you will also be sent a link to a set of online questionnaires. The questionnaires will consist of further demographic questions and ask you about your mood, stressful life events, coping strategies, quality of life, oral and physical health, and your diet. You can complete these questionnaires online at a location of your choosing. The questionnaires will take approximately 60 minutes to complete.
For further details about what participation in the Bugs and Brains study involves, please read through the Plain Language Statement (PDF 108.4 KB).
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Contact us
Contact the Bugs and Brains Study by clicking here.
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Health concerns
If you have concerns about your physical or mental health, please contact your GP, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. General health information can be found at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au. General mental health information can be found at www.beyondblue.org.au. In case of emergency, please call 000 immediately.
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Funding information
Funding for this study was received through the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences.
The Bugs and Brains Study needs to have a range of strict selection criteria to make sure it is scientifically rigorous.
If you are female and between the ages 18 - 40 years old, you are eligible to participate in the questionnaire-only component of the study
If you would like to take part, or would like to discuss your potential eligibility with a member of our team, please click here to provide us with your contact details. We will send you some information about the study, and a member of our team will give you a call to discuss what participation involves and answer any questions.
If you are not eligible for the study (or prefer not to take part), but would like to receive updates and newsletters about the study, please click here to provide us with your contact details.
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Contact us
Contact the Bugs and Brains Study by clicking here.
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Health concerns
If you have concerns about your physical or mental health, please contact your GP, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. General health information can be found at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au. General mental health information can be found at www.beyondblue.org.au. In case of emergency, please call 000 immediately.
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Funding information
Funding for this study was received through the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences.
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Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
- Dr. Julian Simmons
- Dr Orli Schwartz
- Prof Nick Haslam
- Ms Carra Simpson
- Ms Djamila Eliby
- Ms Carmela Diaz Arteche
- Ms Yana Ryakhovskaya
- Ms Lauren Haber
- Mr Brandon Hao
- Ms Xi Wang
- Melbourne Dental School
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre
- A/Prof Sarah Whittle
- Dr. Julian Simmons
- Ms Rachel Brodie
- Columbia University
- RMIT University
COVID-19 Social Distancing April Update: We hope you are managing during this difficult period. Tips on managing feelings of stress, anxiety and distress are available here.
Please note that the Bugs and Brains Study has finalized recruitment for the full study but is still actively recruiting participants for the questionnaire-only sub-study. Please contact us if you would like further information about participating or have any questions.