# Modeling the stress-biome-brain axis in the consequences of early life trauma

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2020 · $192,828

## Abstract

Project Summary
Childhood trauma dramatically increases the risk of adult psychiatric illness and significantly alters
symptom complexity and treatment outcomes. Discovering causal factors and novel interventions
could have a dramatic impact on treating psychiatric illness. Over the past decade, there has been
a growing appreciation for the role of the gut microbiota in normal brain development and behavior
and of critical modulatory effects of the gut microbiota on mental health. Interactions of microbiota
with stress-related hormonal, immune, and inflammatory processes in the brain are particularly
well supported. Thus, there is intense interest in understanding how interactions among stress,
microbiome, and brain (the “stress-biome-brain” axis; SBB) contribute to a significant impact on
mental health. We will address the hypothesis that adolescent trauma-induced alterations in the
microbiome contribute to the neurobiological and behavioral disruptions seen in adulthood. First,
we will characterize stress-biome-brain axis dynamics in mice following recurrent trauma. Mice
exposed to recurrent predation stress or to control conditions will be assessed for changes in the
gut microbiota, hippocampal gene expression, and behavior. We will use these data to construct
multi-level models and predict causal interactions among stress, microbiome, brain, and behavior.
Next, we will test the hypothesis that changes in the gut microbiota induced by childhood trauma
have causal effects in the brain. We will perform fecal transplants from trauma-exposed mice into
naïve mice and measure changes in brain gene expression. These experiments will be performed
in a germ-free mouse facility in mice with a small specified number of species, for precise control
of microbial content. In addition, we will test strategies for perturbation of the microbial community
and to assess behavioral outcomes in the germ-free facility. The data generated will set the stage
for precision perturbation studies of the microbiota and its effects on behavior and for future
translational studies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9936242
- **Project number:** 5R21MH118597-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Seth Abrams Ament
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $192,828
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-06-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9936242

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9936242, Modeling the stress-biome-brain axis in the consequences of early life trauma (5R21MH118597-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9936242. Licensed CC0.

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