Biography
Amy is a Senior Research Fellow at the Food & Mood Centre. She completed her Masters of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) and PhD thesis at the University of Melbourne (2017).
Clinically trained in neuropsychology, she is passionate about understanding the relationships between physical and mental health. A particular research interest of Amy’s is the gut microbiome and the potential relevance that this ‘forgotten organ’ for understanding human health. In 2017 she was awarded the Jack Brockhoff Foundation Early Career Grant to examine the role of the microbiome in Alzheimer’s disease and cognition. She is also working on optimising our physical environments to promote focus, wellbeing and productivity.
Amy is an active communicator of science, and has written for The Conversation, The Research Whisperer and The Thesis Whisperer. She can also be found at www.mindbodymicrobiome.com and on Twitter @MBmicrobiome.
Read more on Amy's profileResearch interests
Gut-brain-axis, oral microbiome, neurology, neurobiology, evidence-based practice, workplace wellbeing, biophilic design, environmental neuroscience.
Affiliations
Australasian Human Microbiome Research Network (AHMRN) Founding Chair 2020 & Current Vice President 2023
Knowledge areas
Neuroscience
Neurological disorder, epilepsy, dementia and neurodegenerative conditions, neurobiology, environmental neuroscience
Gut-brain-axis
Gut and oral microbiomes, nutritional psychiatry, analysis of the gut-brain-axis
Psychology
Biophilic design for wellbeing, mood, cognitive function, neuropsychology, cognitive assessment (descriptive and diagnostic), clinical interviewing, child development, developmental conditions
Statistics
Cohort studies, epidemiology, psychological assessment, meta-analysis, bioinformatics and statistics of the microbiome
Media appearances
Dr Loughman has been interviewed for live radio (ABC Melbourne, ABC Brisbane, RRR), on podcasts (Memory Matters), and her expertise has been featured in articles published in The New York Times, New Scientist, Le Monde, Medscape Neurology, The Conversation and others.
Publications
J Green, A McGuinness, M Berk, D Castle, E Athan, C Hair, P Strandwitz, A Loughman, A Nierenberg, J Cryan, M Mohebbi, F Jacka
(2023), Vol. 9, Pilot and Feasibility Studies, C1
A Dharan, S Bowden, A Peterson, A Lai, U Seneviratne, G Dabscheck, E Nurse, A Loughman, N Parsons, W D'Souza
(2023), Vol. 64, pp. 742-753, Epilepsia, C1
Physical activity and adiposity in preschool children: The Barwon Infant Study
L Bell, P Vuillermin, A Timperio, A Ponsonby, M Tang, K Hesketh, D Burgner, R Saffery, J Carlin, S Ranganathan, L Harrison, F Collier, T Mansell, A Loughman, L Gray
(2022), Vol. 17, Pediatric Obesity, England, C1
W Marx, S Thomson, M O'Hely, C Symeonides, F Collier, M Tang, A Loughman, D Burgner, R Saffery, C Pham, T Mansell, P Sly, P Vuillermin, S Ranganathan, A Ponsonby
(2022), Vol. 100, pp. 211-218, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
A McGuinness, J Davis, S Dawson, A Loughman, F Collier, M O’Hely, C Simpson, J Green, W Marx, C Hair, G Guest, M Mohebbi, M Berk, D Stupart, D Watters, F Jacka
(2022), Vol. 27, pp. 1920-1935, Molecular Psychiatry, Berlin, Germany, C1
To the Gut Microbiome and Beyond: The Brain-First or Body-First Hypothesis in Parkinson's Disease
N Nuzum, A Loughman, E Szymlek-Gay, W Teo, A Hendy, H Macpherson
(2022), Vol. 13, pp. 1-6, Frontiers in Microbiology, Lausanne, Switzerland, C1
T Mansell, R Saffery, S Burugupalli, A Ponsonby, M Tang, M O'hely, S Bekkering, A Smith, R Rowland, S Ranganathan, P Sly, P Vuillermin, F Collier, P Meikle, D Burgner
(2022), Vol. 11, pp. 1-25, eLife, Cambridge, Eng., C1
D So, A Loughman, H Staudacher
(2022), Vol. 116, pp. 943-952, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, United States, C1
T Mikola, W Marx, M Lane, M Hockey, A Loughman, S Rajapolvi, T Rocks, A O’Neil, D Mischoulon, M Valkonen-Korhonen, S Lehto, A Ruusunen
(2022), Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, United States, C1
M Lane, M Lotfaliany, M Forbes, A Loughman, T Rocks, A O’Neil, P Machado, F Jacka, A Hodge, W Marx
(2022), Vol. 14, Nutrients, Switzerland, C1
M Matsuyama, N Murtaza, M Morrison, P Davies, R Hill, A Loughman
(2022), Vol. 189, pp. 285-292, American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, London, Eng., C1
M West, C McMaster, C Young, M Mohebbi, S Hart, H Staudacher, A Loughman, A Ruusunen, T Rocks
(2022), Vol. 11, pp. 1-12, Journal of Clinical Medicine, Basel, Switzerland, C1
A Loughman, T Quinn, M Nation, A Reichelt, R Moore, T Van, V Sung, M Tang
(2021), Vol. 12, pp. 260-270, Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, England, C1
M Lane, J Davis, S Beattie, C Gómez-Donoso, A Loughman, A O'Neil, F Jacka, M Berk, R Page, W Marx, T Rocks
(2021), Vol. 22, Obesity Reviews, England, C1
T Rocks, M West, M Hockey, H Aslam, M Lane, A Loughman, F Jacka, A Ruusunen
(2021), Vol. 107, Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, England, C1
J Davis, M Mohebbi, F Collier, A Loughman, N Shivappa, J Hébert, J Pasco, F Jacka
(2021), Vol. 21, Preventive Medicine Reports, United States, C1
Gastrointestinal symptoms following treatment for anorexia nervosa: A systematic literature review
M West, C McMaster, H Staudacher, S Hart, F Jacka, T Stewart, A Loughman, T Rocks, A Ruusunen
(2021), Vol. 54, pp. 936-951, International Journal of Eating Disorders, United States, C1
Associations between dairy consumption and constipation in adults: A cross-sectional study
H Aslam, M Mohebbi, A Ruusunen, S Dawson, L Williams, M Berk, K Holloway-Kew, F Collier, A Loughman, J Pasco, F Jacka
(2021), pp. 1-9, Nutrition and Health, London, Eng., C1
Amy Loughman, H Staudacher, Tetyana Rocks, Anu Ruusunen, Wolfgang Marx, Adrienne O'Neil, Felice Jacka
(2021), Vol. 32, pp. 100-112, Mod Trends Psychiatry, Basel, Switzerland, C1
J Davis, M Mohebbi, F Collier, A Loughman, H Staudacher, N Shivappa, J Hébert, J Pasco, F Jacka
(2021), Vol. 32, pp. 2193-2203, Osteoporosis International, England, C1
Maternal prenatal gut microbiota composition predicts child behaviour
S Dawson, M O'Hely, F Jacka, A Ponsonby, C Symeonides, A Loughman, F Collier, M Moreno-Betancur, P Sly, D Burgner, M Tang, R Saffery, S Ranganathan, M Conlon, L Harrison, S Brix, K Kristiansen, P Vuillermin
(2021), Vol. 68, EBioMedicine, Netherlands, C1
N Nuzum, W Teo, H Macpherson, A Loughman, E Szymlek-Gay, A Hendy
(2021), Vol. 54, pp. 6608-6617, European Journal of Neuroscience, Chichester, Eng., C1
A Loughman, J Hedley, C Olsson, M Berk, S Moylan, R Saffery, P Sly, M Tang, A Ponsonby, P Vuillermin
(2021), Vol. 73, pp. 578-585, Australian Journal of Psychology, London, England, C1
Reporting guidelines for human microbiome research: the STORMS checklist
C Mirzayi, A Renson, C Furlanello, S Sansone, F Zohra, S Elsafoury, L Geistlinger, L Kasselman, K Eckenrode, J van de Wijgert, A Loughman, F Marques, D MacIntyre, M Arumugam, R Azhar, F Beghini, K Bergstrom, A Bhatt, J Bisanz, J Braun, H Bravo, G Buck, F Bushman, D Casero, G Clarke, M Collado, P Cotter, J Cryan, R Demmer, S Devkota, E Elinav, J Escobar, J Fettweis, R Finn, A Fodor, S Forslund, A Franke, J Gilbert, E Grice, B Haibe-Kains, S Handley, P Herd, S Holmes, J Jacobs, L Karstens, R Knight, D Knights, O Koren, D Kwon, M Langille, B Lindsay, D McGovern, A McHardy, S McWeeney, N Mueller, L Nezi, M Olm, N Palm, E Pasolli, J Raes, M Redinbo, M Rühlemann, R Balfour Sartor, P Schloss, L Schriml, E Segal, M Shardell, T Sharpton, E Smirnova, H Sokol, J Sonnenburg, S Srinivasan, L Thingholm, P Turnbaugh, V Upadhyay, R Walls, P Wilmes, T Yamada, G Zeller, M Zhang, N Zhao, L Zhao, W Bao, A Culhane, V Devanarayan, J Dopazo, X Fan, M Fischer, W Jones, R Kusko, C Mason, T Mercer, A Scherer, L Shi, S Thakkar, W Tong, R Wolfinger, C Hunter
(2021), Vol. 27, pp. 1885-1892, Nature Medicine, United States, C1
A Reichelt, A Loughman, A Bernard, M Raipuria, K Abbott, J Dachtler, T Van, R Moore
(2020), Vol. 23, pp. 613-627, Nutritional Neuroscience, England, C1
N Travica, N D'Cunha, N Naumovski, K Kent, D Mellor, J Firth, E Georgousopoulou, O Dean, A Loughman, F Jacka, W Marx
(2020), Vol. 85, pp. 96-105, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Netherlands, C1
Unravelled facets of milk derived opioid peptides: a focus on gut physiology, fractures and obesity
Hajara Aslam, Anu Ruusunen, Michael Berk, Amy Loughman, Leni Rivera, Julie Pasco, Felice Jacka
(2020), Vol. 71, pp. 36-49, International journal of food sciences and nutrition, Abingdon, Eng., C1
N Nuzum, A Loughman, E Szymlek-Gay, A Hendy, W Teo, H Macpherson
(2020), Vol. 112, pp. 227-241, Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Gut microbiota composition during infancy and subsequent behavioural outcomes
A Loughman, A Ponsonby, M O'Hely, C Symeonides, F Collier, M Tang, J Carlin, S Ranganathan, K Allen, A Pezic, R Saffery, F Jacka, L Harrison, P Sly, P Vuillermin
(2020), Vol. 52, EBioMedicine, Netherlands, C1
M Lane, G Howland, M West, M Hockey, W Marx, A Loughman, M O'Hely, F Jacka, T Rocks
(2020), Vol. 14, pp. 197-204, Obesity research and clinical practice, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
The effects of dairy and dairy derivatives on the gut microbiota: a systematic literature review
H Aslam, W Marx, T Rocks, A Loughman, V Chandrasekaran, A Ruusunen, S Dawson, M West, E Mullarkey, J Pasco, F Jacka
(2020), Vol. 12, Gut Microbes, United States, C1
Obesity, Akkermansia muciniphila, and proton pump inhibitors: is there a link?
J Davis, F Collier, M Mohebbi, A Stuart, A Loughman, J Pasco, F Jacka
(2020), Vol. 14, pp. 524-530, Obesity research and clinical practice, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
J Green, J Davis, M Berk, C Hair, A Loughman, D Castle, E Athan, A Nierenberg, J Cryan, F Jacka, W Marx
(2020), Vol. 12, pp. 1-25, Gut Microbes, United States, C1
The gut microbiome in anorexia nervosa: relevance for nutritional rehabilitation
Anu Ruusunen, Tetyana Rocks, Felice Jacka, Amy Loughman
(2019), Vol. 236, pp. 1545-1558, Psychopharmacology, Berlin, Germany, C1
Wolfgang Marx, Melissa Lane, Tetyana Rocks, Anu Ruusunen, Amy Loughman, Adrian Lopresti, Skye Marshall, Michael Berk, Felice Jacka, Olivia Dean
(2019), Vol. 77, pp. 557-571, Nutrition reviews, Oxford, Eng., C1
Nutrition-related interventions targeting childhood overweight and obesity: A narrative review
J Kerr, A Loughman, A Knox, J Koplin, K Allen, M Wake
(2019), Vol. 20, pp. 45-60, Obesity Reviews, England, C1
Do fathers' home reading practices at age 2 predict child language and literacy at age 4?
Jon Quach, Anna Sarkadi, Natasha Napiza, Melissa Wake, Amy Loughman, Sharon Goldfeld
(2018), Vol. 18, pp. 179-187, Academic pediatrics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Neuroscientific explanations and the stigma of mental disorder: a meta-analytic study
A Loughman, N Haslam
(2018), Vol. 3, Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, England, C1
A Loughman, S Bowden, W D'Souza
(2017), Vol. 24, pp. 453-460, European journal of neurology, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
Self and informant report ratings of psychopathology in genetic generalized epilepsy
A Loughman, S Bowden, W D'Souza
(2017), Vol. 67, pp. 13-19, Epilepsy and behavior, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Kathryn Baker, Amy Loughman, Sarah Spencer, Amy Reichelt
(2017), Vol. 83, pp. 173-182, Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
A Loughman, N Bendrups, W D'Souza
(2016), Vol. 26, pp. 364-375, Neuropsychology review, New York, N.Y., C1-1
Amy Loughman, Udaya Seneviratne, Stephen Bowden, Wendyl D'Souza
(2016), Vol. 62, pp. 297-303, Epilepsy & behavior, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Cognitive functioning in idiopathic generalised epilepsies: a systematic review and meta-analysis
A Loughman, S Bowden, W D'Souza
(2014), Vol. 43, pp. 20-34, Neuroscience & biobehavioral reviews, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
H Hiscock, J Bayer, K Lycett, O Ukoumunne, D Shaw, L Gold, B Gerner, A Loughman, M Wake
(2012), Vol. 12, pp. 1-9, BMC public health, London, England, C1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Industry and Other Funding
A novel approach to modifying the risk of Alzheimer's disease: the gut microbiome
Dr Amy Loughman
Jack Brockhoff Foundation Grant - Research
- 2018: $60,000
- 2017: $60,000
Diet and the microbiome: implications for neurodevelopment in early to mid-childhood
Prof Jeffrey Craig, Dr Amy Loughman, A/Prof Tim Silk, Dr Garth Stephenson
Waterloo Foundation - Child Development
- 2022: $89,716
Supervisions
Nathan Nuzum
Thesis entitled: Gut microbiota and lifestyle factors across ageing and Parkinson¿s disease
Doctor of Philosophy (Nutrition & Exercise) (High Cost), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
Jessica Allison Davis
Thesis entitled: Diet Quality, the Gut Microbiota, and Associations with Muscle Health
Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine
Fathima Hajara Abdus Samad
Thesis entitled: Dairy Intake and Health: Exploring Mechanisms and Functions
Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine