i3S Studies Link Between Gut Microbiome and Adolescent Risk-Taking Behaviour
The MINDSET project (Mapping INteractions of the biDirectional gut-brain axiS in adolEscent risk-Taking behaviour), led by Joana Ferreira Gomes, an i3S researcher and professor at FMUP, was recently awarded the National Fellowship for Microbiota Research Projects by the Biocodex Microbiota Foundation. The project will be funded with 25,000 euros, an amount awarded annually by the Foundation to support pioneering research in the field of microbiota.
The link between the gut microbiome and risk-taking behaviour in adolescence is still a developing field, but the available data points to a close relationship between the balance of the gut microbiome and brain function. “It is known that the microbiome communicates with the central nervous system through the so-called gut-brain axis, influencing cognitive, emotional, and behavioural functions. Gut bacteria produce chemical substances, such as serotonin and dopamine, that act as messengers and regulate mood, impulsivity, and decision-making,” explains researcher Joana Ferreira Gomes.
According to the i3S scientist and FMUP professor, “these mechanisms are particularly relevant in adolescence, a phase marked by greater emotional instability and vulnerability to external factors, such as stress or social pressure”. Joana Ferreira Gomes says adolescence is characterised by an increase in mortality and morbidity rates, mainly due to greater involvement in risk-taking behaviours, such as reckless driving, excessive alcohol consumption, unprotected sexual activity, and illicit substance use, factors that significantly increase the probability of adverse health consequences.
Animal model studies indicate that alterations in the microbiota during this period — caused, for example, by the excessive use of antibiotics — can have long-lasting impacts on memory, behaviour, and mental health. It is based on this evidence, underlines the researcher, that the MINDSET project “aims to deepen our knowledge of how the microbiome can be a protective factor against risk-taking behaviours, such as substance use, reckless driving, or impulsivity.”
Joana Ferreira Gomes’s team, which includes researchers from the “Glial Cell Biology” group at i3S, will collect stool and blood samples from adolescents aged 12 to 18 to analyse the composition of the gut microbiota and evaluate hormonal and inflammatory markers in the blood. “This data will be cross-referenced with the results of questionnaires and behavioural tasks, which will allow us to assess the degree of impulsivity, the search for intense experiences, emotional regulation, and the predisposition to take risks”, reveals the researcher.
By mapping the interactions between the microbiome and the neuro-immuno-endocrine system, the project could have a significant impact on how we understand and address risk-taking behaviours in adolescence. “By identifying links between the gut microbiome, biological markers, and behaviours, we can develop earlier, more precise, and personalised prevention strategies,” stresses Joana Ferreira Gomes. She explains that, in the long term, this data may contribute to interventions based on modulating the microbiome as a way of promoting emotional balance, reducing impulsivity and harmful risk-taking behaviours, and protecting the mental and physical health of adolescents.
Volunteer recruitment will begin shortly, and expressions of interest can be submitted here: m2child.med.up.pt/participe/mindset
