MoodBugs: How our gut microbes influence how we feel – bacterial metabolites and inflammation as mediators of human microbiota-affect relationships

Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota communicate with the brain through various mechanisms including the production of short-chain fatty acids. Apart from regulating inflammation, this microbiota–gut–brain axis has raised the question whether it may also influence feelings and emotion-based responses. The MoodBugs project proposes to investigate the association between specific microbiota profiles and mental health. By combining population-based and experimental mechanistic studies on healthy humans, researchers will elucidate how microbiota composition and function impacts stress and fear. MoodBugs will unveil the neural mechanisms underlying this association, with important consequences for mental health.