Mind, Mood and our Microbes

Mind, Mood and our Microbes

As a society navigating the various stressors of a global pandemic, the importance of mental health has become a common talking point. More conversations are being had around the importance of destigmatising mental health and the multiple ways in which we can support our mental wellbeing. Additionally, within the healthcare industry, the last 10 years have seen a paradigm shift in mental health care. With more research and avenues of support being investigated, this paradigm shift has moved towards a more integrated hypothesis that includes emotional, physical, and genetic triggers.

In this webinar which we ran in collaboration with IHCAN, we look at the physiological role gut microbes play in mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression. We also discuss the pivotal role the gut-brain axis can play in contributing to our mental wellbeing.

Objectives

• Understanding moods and mental health in an ecological context
• The role inflammation plays in mood and mental health
• What we know of the gut-brain-microbe axis
• How microbes can impact the gut-brain axis from brain development to influencing moods