GUEST EDITORS' NOTE

Abstract

This thematic issue of Psychological Topics is devoted to the gut-brain axis, the cross-talk between the gut, its microbiota and the brain, and its role in understanding the underlying mechanisms that explain the complex interactions between the biological, psychological and social aspects of functional gastrointestinal, metabolic and weight disorders. Research on the role of the gut-brain axis in health and disease is quite new, and we hope that the articles published in this issue will contribute to further understanding of this interesting and important scientific topic. This issue presents a broad range of research reports, theoretical contributions and review papers on the effects of various functional gastrointestinal disorders and weight regulation issues on physical and mental health, and the quality of life in general.   Accordingly, the articles published in this issue of Psychological Topics cover a variety of topics, such as regulation of functions of the brain and body by the principle of predictive coding and implications for impairments of the brain-gut axis; gut microbiota and its role in human health and body weight; psychological factors and metabolic outcomes in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes; correlates of body mass index and the role of brain-gut miscommunication in irritable bowel syndrome; parents and childhood functional abdominal pain and the conjoint role of dieting and health complaints of adolescents.   We would like to express our thanks to all the authors for their contributions to this issue of Psychological Topics. Last but not the least, special thanks go to the Editor-in Chief, the Editorial Board and the academic reviewers.   Mladenka Tkalčić and Alessandra Pokrajac-Bulian