Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and the Microbiome

November 17, 2014 updated by: Seattle Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Research

Pyrosequencing to Identify Alterations in Intestinal Microbiota Following a Stress Reduction Course

This proposed study aims to determine whether decreasing stress levels in persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can lead to a change in the intestinal microbiota, assessed 8 weeks after enrollment.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The gut microbiota is known to be integral to gastrointestinal health and disease. Psychological stress has been shown to significantly alter the gastrointestinal microbiota of rats, rhesus monkeys, and humans. These studies have consistently shown decreases in lactobacilli among other changes in species that correlate with an increase in diarrheal symptoms. While it is unclear whether stress causes diarrhea leading indirectly to a disruption in the native microbiota, or whether stress leads directly to changes in the microbiota that then lead to diarrhea; there is a growing body of evidence to support the latter. Differences in microbiota have also been shown to be present in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and predispose or protect against other forms of diarrhea including bacterial gastroenteritis and radiation-induced diarrhea. In addition, treatment with probiotics containing lactobacillus and other species has been shown to help alleviate IBS symptoms. Stress is hypothesized to act on the microbiota via the brain-gut axis through endocrine, immunological, and/or neurological pathways. This proposed study aims to determine whether decreasing stress levels in persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) & IBS can lead to a change in the intestinal microbiota, assessed 3 weeks after enrollment. It also seeks to determine if a change in intestinal microbiota correlates with a decrease in IBS symptoms. We propose to use broad-range bacterial 16S rRNA gene PCR with 454 pyrosequencing to characterize the fecal microbiota and correlate changes in bacterial communities to IBS symptoms at baseline and after completion of an 8-week-stress reduction course in 15 patients with PTSD & IBS and to compare these findings to 5 patients with PTSD & IBS undergoing usual care without a stress-reduction course.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

55

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98108
        • VA Puget Sound

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • posttraumatic stress disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

  • psychosis
  • suicidal ideation with intent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Treatment as Usual
Usual VA care
Experimental: MBSR
participation in an 8-week stress reduction course (mindfulness-based stress reduction)
Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
An 8-week validated stress reduction program, designed to teach mindfulness.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in intestinal microbiome
Time Frame: baseline, 8 weeks, 4-month follow-up
characterization of the intestinal microbiome is a primary endpoint
baseline, 8 weeks, 4-month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Seattle Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Research

Collaborators

American College of Gastroenterology

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: David Kearney, MD, Seattle Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Research

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 11, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 12, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

June 14, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 19, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 17, 2014

Last Verified

November 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MIRB# 00044

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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