Here is a collection of relevant scientific journal articles relating to the gut microbiome and mental illness that I have collected and collated over the years.

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Case studies

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• My case study bipolar I

• Professor Gordon Parker patient case study bipolar 2 & ADHD 

• Fecal microbiota transplantation in an elderly patient with mental depression

• Faecal microbiota transplantation alleviates symptoms of depression in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome: A case series 2020

• The effect of fecal microbiota transplantation on psychiatric symptoms among patients with irritable bowel syndrome, functional diarrhea and functional constipation: An open-label observational study 2018

• Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) as an Adjunctive Therapy for Depression—Case Report 2022

• Fecal microbiota transplantation is associated with improved aspects of mental health of patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections: Effect of FMT on affect in rCDI patients 2022

• Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from healthy and bipolar donors elicits distinct emotional behaviors and gut-brain metabolite profiles in mice 2023

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Bipolar Disorder specific articles

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• Gut microbiota links to cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder via modulating synaptic plasticity (FMT from BP sufferers into germ free mice resulted in changes in brain function and cognition). August 2025

• Gut Microbiota – A Potential Contributor in the Pathogenesis of Bipolar Disorder 2022

• Bipolar disorder and the gut microbiota: a bibliometric analysis 2024

• The Gut Microbiome Composition Associates with Bipolar Disorder and Illness Severity 2018

• Disruption of the gut microbiota-inflammation-brain axis in unmedicated bipolar disorder II depression Dec 2024

• Resolution of a manic episode treated with activated charcoal: Evidence for a brain-gut axis in bipolar disorder 2015

• Gut microbial clues to bipolar disorder: State-of-the-art review of current findings and future directions 2020

• Gut permeability bipolar: "Serum zonulin and claudin-5 levels in patients with bipolar disorder" 2020

• Medical express blog: Common factors within the gut associated with depression and bipolar disorder 2021

• Bipolar disorder and the gut microbiome: A systematic review 2021

• A systematic review of gut microbiota composition in observational studies of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia 2022

• A systematic review on gut–brain axis aberrations in bipolar disorder and methods of balancing the gut microbiota 2023

• Mood Disorders: The Gut Bacteriome and Beyond 2024 

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Other relevant articles

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• Transferring the blues: Depression-associated gut microbiota induces neurobehavioural changes in the rat  2016

• Feasibility, Acceptability, and Safety of Faecal Microbiota Transplantation in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial  2023​ 

• Current Perspectives on Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis and Depression 2020

• Effect of fecal microbiota transplant on symptoms of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review 2020

• The gut microbiota in anxiety and depression – A systematic review 2021

• Perturbations in Gut Microbiota Composition in Psychiatric Disorders A Review and Meta-analysis 2021

• Fecal transplants: The 'super-donor' phenomenon 2019

• FMT for psychiatric disorders: Following the brown brick road into the future 2021

• Efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation for the treatment of diseases other than Clostridium difficile infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis 2020 

• Inflammation, Lifestyle Factors, and the Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis: Relevance to Depression and Antidepressant Action 2022

• Clinical significance of microbiota changes under the influence of psychotropic drugs. An updated narrative review 2023

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Nutrional Psychiatry

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• A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial)

• Dietary Management for Faecal Microbiota Transplant: An International Survey of Clinical and Research Practice, Knowledge and Attitudes 2021

• Monash University blog 2023: Researchers confirm the link between diet, microbiota and mental health 

• Effects of a high-prebiotic diet versus probiotic supplements versus synbiotics on adult mental health: The “Gut Feelings” randomised controlled trial 2023 

• Sugar intake from sweet food and beverages, common mental disorder and depression: prospective findings from the Whitehall II study 2017

• University College London blog: High sugar intake linked with poorer long-term mental health  

• Association between ultra-processed foods and recurrence of depressive symptoms: the Whitehall II cohort study 2023

• The edible plant microbiome: evidence for the occurrence of fruit and vegetable bacteria in the human gut

• Cardiometabolic benefits of a non-industrialized-type diet are linked to gut microbiome modulation 2025

• Miso: A traditional nutritious & health‐endorsing fermented product 2022

• Supplementation with Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens ZW3 from Tibetan Kefir improves depression-like behavior in stressed mice by modulating the gut microbiota 2019

• Psychobiotics, gut microbiota and fermented foods can help preserving mental health 2022

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Psychobiotics 

*Live organisms (probiotics) or substances (prebiotics) that, when ingested in adequate amounts, confer a mental health benefit to the host via interactions with the gut microbiome.

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• Psychobiotics: Are they the future intervention for managing depression and anxiety? A literature review 2023

• Can probiotics reduce bipolar symptoms?: A systematic review 2022

• Harvard Medical School blog: Probiotics for bipolar disorder mania  2018

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Antibiotics and mental health

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• Antibiotics and mental health: The good, the bad and the ugly 2022.

• Long-term antibiotic use during early life and risks to mental traits: an observational study and gene–environment-wide interaction study in UK Biobank cohort 2020

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​Trauma/stress & the gut microbiome

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• A Traumatic Experience Can Reshape Your Microbiome (blog 2017 links to research)​​​​

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