Bacteria-Condition Explorer
Discover which gut bacteria are associated with mental health conditions. Data aggregated from peer-reviewed studies in the gut-brain axis literature.
Understanding the Data
Number of Studies
The count of peer-reviewed research studies that have documented this bacteria-condition association. Higher numbers indicate more research support.
In bubble charts, larger bubbles = more studies
Effect Type
Depleted (green): Bacteria found at lower levels in people with the condition - often protective species.
Enriched (red): Bacteria found at higher levels in people with the condition.
Mixed (purple): Results vary across studies.
Click on any data point to see details and references
Key Gut-Brain Species
Meet the most researched psychobiotics - bacteria with documented effects on mental health.
Diet & Your Microbiome
What you eat shapes your gut bacteria. Explore how different dietary patterns influence your microbiome and mental well-being.
About This Project
The Gut-Brain Axis
The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication network linking the central nervous system with the enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract. Trillions of bacteria in our gut produce neurotransmitters, metabolites, and immune signals that influence our brain and behavior.
Data Sources
- BugSigDB - Curated database of published microbiome signatures (CC0 license)
- PubMed - Recent gut-brain axis research papers
- Review Literature - Meta-analyses and systematic reviews on diet-microbiome relationships
Technical Implementation
Data Pipeline: Python scripts fetch and normalize data from public APIs, transforming raw research data into clean JSON for visualization.
Frontend: Static HTML/CSS/JavaScript with Chart.js for interactive visualizations. No build step required - just data engineering meets web accessibility.
Why Gut-Brain Explorer?
I built this project to demonstrate my passion for making complex biological data accessible to everyone. The gut-brain axis represents one of the most exciting frontiers in understanding human health - and I believe tools that help people explore this connection can empower better health decisions.