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Microbiome and psychiatric disorders

Guest Editors:
Kazi Farhana Afroz: Emory University, USA
Shaohua Hu: Zhejiang University, China
Mirko Manchia: University of Cagliari, Italy


BMC Psychiatry welcomed submissions to our Collection on Microbiome and Psychiatric Disorders.

Microbiome has extensive influence on the human brain. In particular, gut bacteria of persons with psychiatric disorders seems to be significantly different than that of control groups in recent research. The purpose of this collection was to highlight the most recent advances in research on microbiota and psychiatric disorders.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Kazi Farhana Afroz: Emory University, USA

Dr. Kazi Farhana Afroz is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at Emory University. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Neuroscience concentration in the Spring of 2022, and her research project was on the impact of maternal salt consumption on the development of offspring gut microbiome and Autism-like behavior. Currently, Farhana is working on identifying the role of amyloidosis-associated proteins (AAPs) on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathology.

Shaohua Hu: Zhejiang University, China
Dr. Shaohua Hu is the director of the Psychiatry Department, First Affiliated Hospital at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine. His interest is the biological mechanism of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.



Mirko Manchia: University of Cagliari, Italy
Dr. Mirko Manchia is an associate professor of Psychiatry in the Section of Psychiatry of the Department of Medical Sciences at the University of Cagliari and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at Dalhousie University. He has developed his research interest on the study of clinical and neurobiological aspects of bipolar disorder, with a specific focus on genetics of lithium response and suicidal behavior. He serves in the editorial board of several international journals, is a founding member of the Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLiGen), and is part of the International Group for the Study of Lithium Treated Patients (IGSLi), and of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Bipolar Disorders, Resilience and Physical And Mental Health Networks.

About the collection

BMC Psychiatry welcomed submissions to the collection on Microbiome and Psychiatric Disorders.

Microbiome has extensive influence on the human brain. In particular, gut bacteria of persons with psychiatric disorders seems to be significantly different than that of control groups in recent research. Furthermore, some studies suggest an overlap between microbiota in persons with a major depressive disorder, and the microbiota in schizophrenia and psychosis patients. The purpose of this collection was to highlight the most recent advances in research on microbiota and psychiatric disorders.

BMC Psychiatry invited submissions on the mentioned topic which can range from research articles and meta-analyses to case reports and review articles.


Image credit: T. L. Furrer / stock.adobe.com

  1. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by sadness and anhedonia, but also physical symptoms such as changes in appetite and weight. Gut microbiota has been hypothesized to be involved in MDD through ...

    Authors: Julie Kristine Knudsen, Caspar Bundgaard-Nielsen, Peter Leutscher, Simon Hjerrild, René Ernst Nielsen and Suzette Sørensen
    Citation: BMC Psychiatry 2024 24:84
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. According to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Health Data Exchange (2023) it is estimated that 5% of all adults will experience depressive disorder. Amongst the general loss of pleasure ...

    Authors: Nazir Hashemi-Mohammadabad, Seyed-Abdolvahab Taghavi, Nicky Lambert, Raana Moshtaghi, Fatemeh Bazarganipour and Mahboubeh Sharifi
    Citation: BMC Psychiatry 2024 24:44
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Several pieces of evidence show that gut microbiota can impact psychiatric disorders. However, no mechanism behind the relationship has been identified. Host genetics and their diets have a significant impact ...

    Authors: Kazi Farhana Afroz and Mirko Manchia
    Citation: BMC Psychiatry 2023 23:488
    Content type: Editorial Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of Research Articles. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have read our submission guidelines. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Microbiome and Psychiatric Disorders" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.