The brain, gut, early life stress and anorexia nervosa | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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The brain, gut, early life stress and anorexia nervosa

Seeking young people

How do early experiences shape biology, and risk and maintaining factors for anorexia nervosa in young people?

  • Are you aged 16 – 25 years old?
  • Do you have a current or past diagnosis of anorexia nervosa or 'atypical’ anorexia nervosa?
  • Or have you been assessed by a clinician as meeting the criteria for anorexia nervosa or 'atypical’ anorexia nervosa?

We invite you to join a scientific study into the neurobiology of risk and maintaining factors for anorexia nervosa after exposure to early life stress, including eating disorders.

All genders are eligible for participation.

What participation involves
  • Participating in an MRI scan (you can receive a picture of your brain!)
  • Questionnaires about your mental health, behaviour and cognition, such as your experiences of eating, body image, and stressful life events
  • A gut microbiome faecal swab sampling kit will also be given to you to complete at home and mail for analysis (using instructions and an envelope provided)

Participants receive a $30 voucher for their time and a de-identified picture of their brain from the MRI scan.

Learn more

Youth Mental Health Research Team
Email: ymh@usc.edu.au

Ethics approval number: S241934