Am I eligible?

The Bugs and Brains Study needs to have a range of strict selection criteria to make sure it is scientifically rigorous.

Listed below are a list of 8 items relating to some of the main selection criteria for participation in all components of the Bugs and Brains Study. If you answer ‘YES’ to all 8 items, you may be eligible for participation in all aspects of the study. If you answer 'NO' to some items, you may be eligible to complete the questionnaire-only components.

  • Gender

    Female gender.

  • Age

    Aged between 18-40 years.

  • Location

    Living in Greater Melbourne or Greater Geelong (or, if not, willing to travel to Melbourne to participate in the Bugs and Brains study).

  • Language

    Fluent in written and spoken English.

  • Pregnancy

    NOT pregnant or lactating.

  • Mental Health

    Are not currently taking anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication and have NEVER been diagnosed with any of the following mental health disorders:

    • Any psychotic disorder (e.g., Schizophrenia, Schizophreniform Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, Delusional Disorder, Brief Psychotic Disorder).
    • Any bipolar disorder (e.g., Bipolar I disorder, Bipolar II disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder, Mania, Hypomania, Manic-Depression).
    • Any eating disorder (e.g., Anorexia Nervosa, Bullimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder).
    • Any somatic disorder (e.g., Somatic Symptom Disorder, Illness Anxiety Disorder, Factitious Disorder, Conversion Disorder, Hypochondriasis).
  • Substance Use Disorder

    In the past 12 months, NO DIAGNOSIS of any Substance Use Disorder (e.g., Alcohol, Cannabis, Hallucinogen, Inhalant, Opioid, Sedative, Hypnotic, Anxiolytic, and/or Stimulant Use Disorders)

  • Physical Health

    DO NOT currently have any of the following physical health conditions:

    • Obesity
    • Hypertension
    • Cardiovascular disease
    • Respiratory disease
    • Diabetes mellitus (Diabetes Type 1 or 2, Gestational Diabetes)
    • Liver cirrhosis
    • Fatty liver disease
    • Inflammatory bowel disease
    • Short bowel syndrome
    • History of abdominal surgery
    • Coeliac, or other autoimmune disease

“If you answered ‘YES’ to being female, and are at least 18-years of age, you are eligible to participate in the questionnaire-only components of the study. If you answered ‘YES’ to all the items, you may be eligible to participate in all aspects 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.