The human microbiome of the skin and gut have both been postulated as impacting emotional wellbeing.
The skin microbiome has a profound impact on skin condition and appearance, with microbiome imbalances identified as contributing to human conditions such as acne, atopic eczema, body odour and dandruff/seborrheic which negatively impact self-confidence and emotional wellbeing (Nguyen et al., 2016; Roberts et al., 2009; Godbehere et al., 2017).
The gut microbiome also acts as an important component of mental and physical health regulation both indirectly through its impact on body confidence (e.g. as contributor to obesity) and directly via bidirectional communication between the gut and brain (Lee et al., 2020), and as a source of neurotransmitters including serotonin, GABA, dopamine and indole which impact human mood, anxiety, concentration and motivation.
There is now an emerging body of research in humans, which investigates the relationship between microbes and affective states. For example, intervention studies, which have manipulated the gut microbiome by administering multi-probiotic drinks have observed improvements in psychological wellbeing compared to placebo (Nishida et al., 2017). In addition, there are recent studies which assess brain structure and responses to emotional stimuli differences based on gut microbial profile (Tillisch et al., 2018), and emotional well-being and gut microbiome profiles by enterotype (Lee, 2020). However, although gut-brain microbiome signalling is considered to be bi-directional, relatively little research attention has been directed at the influence of acute / sub-acute stressors on gut microbiome composition.
In addition, there is a co-morbidity between skin conditions and mental health/affective states. This link between skin and emotion is proposed to be underscored by gut microflora – due to emotional states altering gut microflora, contributing to systemic inflammations. However, research in humans assessing effects of emotional states / stress on the skin microbiome has yet to be elucidated.
Objectives
This project aims to characterise the association between skin microbiome, gut microbiome and emotional wellbeing using:
- DNA extraction and shotgun metagenomics / 16S Sequencing / qPCR analysis of skin and gut microbiota samples
- Multimodal neuroimaging techniques (EEG, fMRI)
- Neurobiological measures of stress, mood and wellbeing e.g., cortisol profiling
- Subjective measures of perceived stress, mood, and wellbeing
The successful candidate will work with a diverse supervision team located in the Department of Psychology at the University of Liverpool and also benefit from supervision and placements with the industry partner (Unilever Research and Development, Port Sunlight, UK).
We aim to advance our understanding of fundamental bioscience of skin-gut-brain interactions, to identify possible interventions that might improve wellbeing for those with sensitive skin, potentially reducing the need for medical intervention.
Attributes of suitable applicants:
Essential: Good (First/Upper Second Class) degree in any relevant subject area (e.g. psychology, neuroscience, computer science, biomedical sciences etc.)
Desirable: Experience of neuroimaging data collection and/or analysis using EEG or fMRI. Experience of programming in R statistics, Matlab, Python or similar. Experience of microbiome data collection and/or analysis techniques. Experience of cortisol data collection and analysis.
Interested candidates can apply by sending a covering letter outlining relevant experience and interest in the position, along with a copy of their CV containing information for 2 referees, to the supervisor (Dr Carl Roberts, [Email Address Removed]) or via the ‘email institution’ link.
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