Premium
Gut feelings: The microbiome and children's mental health
Author(s) -
Rouse Amy
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the brown university child and adolescent behavior letter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7575
pISSN - 1058-1073
DOI - 10.1002/cbl.30332
Subject(s) - microbiome , feeling , mental health , human health , function (biology) , psychology , biology , medicine , psychiatry , bioinformatics , social psychology , environmental health , evolutionary biology
Microbiota are so plentiful on and in our bodies that their cells outnumber our own human cells nine to one. Most of these organisms live in the gastrointestinal tract; indeed, 100 trillion microbes live in the human intestine. Their contribution to the function, or dysfunction, of our bowels is well‐recognized. The microbiome and the way in which it influences our health more generally is now a frequent topic in the journals of diverse medical specialties, including psychiatry, as well as in popular media. Though most studies looking at the microbiome involve mouse models or adult populations, there are several new studies with children as subjects. As we learn more about how the microbiome affects cognition and emotions, it is important that professionals in the field of children's mental health have a basic understanding of the microbiome. This article aims to provide an introduction to the microbiome and the way it influences mental health, with an emphasis on studies that include children and adolescents.