Between the Belly and the Brain: Distorted Gut-brain Crosstalk in Early-life Adversity

Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexAll
Age6-13
SponsorUniversitair Ziekenhuis Brussel

About this trial

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the effects of early-life adversity (ELA) on the composition of children's microbiome and on their psychosocial functioning. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Do children who have experienced ELA have lower gut microbial diversity and/or an altered gut microbial composition? * Do these microbiome alterations correlate with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including increased levels of stress, social and/or affective problems?

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

Primary school-aged children (6 to 13 years of age) who have experienced at least one early-life traumatic event, based on the Childhood Trust Events Survey (CTES) questionnaire

The child and at least one of his/her parents (or guardian) speak Dutch sufficiently well to complete all of the questionnaires and the semi-structured child psychiatric interview (SCID-5-Junior)

Disqualifiers

any chronic disorders or diseases known to affect the gut micobiome

inablity to complete questionnaires and/or semi-structured interview because of linguistic and/or cognitive barrier

congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies

use of medication(s) that affect gastrointestinal function (e.g., antibiotics) within the last 6 weeks, or laxatives within the last 4 weeks, or probiotic or prebiotic supplements within the last 4 weeks

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Completion of questionnaires; child psychiatric screening; faecal sample analysis

Treatment groups

No treatment groups listed