A protocol for the Teen Bugs study: An integrative, multi-omics approach to understanding the role of the gut microbiome and mesocorticolimbic system in adolescent mental health following early adverse caregiving
Genesis D Flores, Zoe F Damon, Mary Ford, Naomi N Gancz, Paul W Savoca, Shiba M Esfand, Kristen A Chu, Francesca R Querdasi, Clare F McCann, Jonathan G Westman, Jennifer S Labus, David Clewett, Ashley C Parr, Elaine Y Hsiao, Jonathan Jacobs, Jennifer Silvers, Bridget L Callaghan · 2026
Read A protocol for the Teen Bugs study: An integrative, multi-omics approach to understanding the role of the gut microbiome and mesocorticolimbic system in adolescent mental health following early adverse caregiving by Genesis D Flores, Zoe F Damon, Mary Ford, Naomi N Gancz, Paul W Savoca, Shiba M Esfand, Kristen A Chu, Francesca R Querdasi, Clare F McCann, Jonathan G Westman, Jennifer S Labus, David Clewett, Ashley C Parr, Elaine Y Hsiao, Jonathan Jacobs, Jennifer Silvers, Bridget L Callaghan (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13292554.txt.
Description
Genesis D Flores and a large team lay out the Teen Bugs study protocol in a 2026 paper. The study asks how early caregiving adversity shapes teenage mental health through gut microbes and brain reward circuits. Teens aged twelve to fifteen, with and without such adversity histories, will be followed for five years. Three waves combine clinical interviews, reward choice tasks, and questionnaires. Brain imaging uses magnetic resonance markers tied to dopamine biology.
Stool samples will feed microbe gene checks, and blood samples will feed metabolite checks. The data should reveal metabolic pathways linking early adversity to reward-system function and symptoms like depression and anxiety. Teens are understudied in microbiome research despite high rates of emerging illness. The protocol's integrative design aims at mechanisms that could become treatment targets. The paper reports a plan, not results. Its value lies in the joint gut-brain plan it sets out.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Genesis D Flores, Zoe F Damon, Mary Ford, Naomi N Gancz, Paul W Savoca, Shiba M Esfand, Kristen A Chu, Francesca R Querdasi, Clare F McCann, Jonathan G Westman, Jennifer S Labus, David Clewett, Ashley C Parr, Elaine Y Hsiao, Jonathan Jacobs, Jennifer Silvers, Bridget L Callaghan |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 87 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |