Probiotic Research for Mental Health in Adult Volunteers
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Probiotic, Placebo.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Healthy Adult Participants. Basic parameters: 18 years — 30 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study Evaluating a Probiotic Intervention for Mental Health
Overview
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study will evaluate the effects of four weeks of supplementation with a probiotic on mental health in healthy adults aged 18-30 years. Participants will be randomized to receive either probiotic or placebo and will complete study assessments at baseline and end of intervention, and will complete a range of behavioral, physiological, and questionnaire-based assessments before and after the intervention. The primary objective is to assess the effect on emotional reactivity measured in a virtual reality scenario at the end of the intervention. This exploratory study is intended to generate data to inform future clinical research.
Interventions
- Dietary supplement Probiotic
Participants will be instructed to take one capsule once daily in the morning with a meal and water. - Dietary supplement Placebo
Participants will be instructed to take one capsule once daily in the morning with a meal and water.
Primary outcome measures
- VIRDIS: Rating of unpleasantness in a virtual reality social scenario [Time frame: This outcome is assessed only at treatment completion (at week 4).]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- VIRDIS: a composite score of ratings of unpleasantness across all virtual reality scenarios [Time frame: This outcome is assessed only at treatment completion (at week 4)]
- VIRDIS: heart rate [Time frame: This outcome is assessed only at treatment completion (at week 4).]
- Short Form 36 - Energy/Vitality subscale [Time frame: Change from baseline to treatment completion (at week 4)]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- 18-30 years of age
- Native-level Danish language skills
- No current psychiatric illness, confirmed with the Presence State Examination (PSE) and the Standardized Assessment of Personality (SAPAS)
- No previous history of severe psychiatric illness, including bipolar disorder, recurrent unipolar depression, psychosis spectrum disorders, personality disorders, autism spectrum disorders, or attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (ADHD/ADD), confirmed with PSE and SAPAS. Participants may still be included if they have a history of a single depressive episode, or have experienced symptoms of anxiety, stress, or burnout more than 6 months ago.
Exclusion criteria
- Recent use of probiotics (within the past 4 weeks)
- Use of antibiotics within the past 3 months
- Smoking, chewable tobacco, vaping, or use of other nicotine products
- Neurological disorders (including dementia)
- Use of psychotropic medication within the previous 6 months, including:
- Anxiolytics
- Antidepressants
- Antipsychotics
- Anticonvulsants
- Centrally acting corticosteroids
- Opioid pain relievers
- Hypnotics
- Prescribed sleep medications or herbal sleep aids (e.g., valerian)
- Dyslexia
- Severe physical illness, including:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Gastrointestinal pathology (e.g., colon cancer, colitis, Crohn's disease)
- Gynecological pathology (e.g., endometriosis)
- Urologic pathology (e.g., prostate cancer)
- Severely immunocompromised status, including:
- HIV positive
- Being a transplant recipient
- Use of anti-rejection medication
- Use of steroids for more than 30 days
- Chemotherapy or radiotherapy within the last year
- Current alcohol or substance abuse disorder
- Previous severe head trauma
- History of epilepsy
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Known allergy to any component of the test product
- Participation in a clinical study with another investigational product within 60 days before screening, or plans to participate in another study during the study period
- Significant change in dietary habits within the previous 4 weeks (e.g., starting a fibre-enriched diet)
- Planned major changes in diet or exercise habits during the study period
- Current pregnancy
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07751614 · H-25096887