Profile
Dr. Ghizlane Bendriss is a neuroscientist whose multidisciplinary approach integrates neurobiology, microbiome research, sensory cognition, and community health. She holds a PhD in Neurophysiology and Neurobiology and a Master’s in Cognitive Neuroscience from Aix-Marseille University, France. Dr. Bendriss began her career at the Center for Research in Oncobiology and Oncopharmacology in France before joining Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar in 2011, where she teaches Neurosciences and Biology to premedical students, focusing on special senses and the sensory nervous system. Her primary research centers on the gut-brain axis, exploring how lifestyle factors influence brain development and physiology through modulation of the gut microbiome. An advocate for lifestyle medicine, she obtained her Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine in 2020.
Dr. Bendriss has pioneered several research initiatives, including one of Qatar’s first clinical studies on the gut microbiome and autism, funded by a UREP grant, which won first place in the 12th annual competition. She is currently developing a camel milk-derived probiotic to address dysbiosis in neurodevelopmental conditions. Her sensory and environmental cognition studies include a collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar on the effects of light temperature on cognition, as well as leading Qatar’s first registered neuromusicology clinical trial, NCT0457310, investigating the impact of Middle Eastern maqam music on brain activity and emotions, which also serves her goals in understanding the potential role of sounds and music in medicine.
She also teaches continuing professional development courses, including the first accredited “Training in Music-Based Interventions” and “The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Health and Disease”, to promote lifestyle-centered health approaches. As an apprentice musician studying the Ney at Qatar Music Academy, she plays in various concerts in Qatar to deepens her understanding of traditional music serving her holistic approach to neurodevelopmental health across scientific, cultural, and applied health contexts.
Selected Publications
- Bendriss G, MacDonald R, McVeigh C. "Microbial Reprogramming in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Review of Gut-Brain Communication and Emerging Evidence." International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023;24(15):11978. [DOI:10.3390/ijms241511978]
- Gaskell C, Sarada P, Aleem E, Bendriss G. "Identifying lifestyle factors associated with co-morbidity of obesity and psychiatric disorders, a pilot study." Frontiers in Public Health. 2023;11:1132994. [DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1132994]
- Laswi I, Shafiq A, Al-Ali D, et al. "A comparative pilot study of bacterial and fungal dysbiosis in neurodevelopmental and gastrointestinal disorders: Commonalities, specificities, and correlations with lifestyle." Microorganisms. 2021;9(4):741. [DOI:10.3390/microorganisms9040741]
- Yaghmour M, Sarada P, Roach S, et al. "EEG correlates of Middle Eastern music improvisations on the Ney instrument." Frontiers in Psychology. 2021;12:701761. [DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.701761]
- Al-Ali D, Ahmed A, Shafiq A, McVeigh C, Chaari A, Zakaria D, Bendriss G. "Fecal microbiota transplants: A review of emerging clinical data on applications, efficacy, and risks (2015-2020)." Qatar Medical Journal. 2021;2021(1):5. [DOI:10.5339/qmj.2021.5]
- Abdellatif B, McVeigh C, Bendriss G, Chaari A. "The Promising Role of Probiotics in Managing the Altered Gut in Autism Spectrum Disorders." International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020;21(11):4159. [DOI:10.3390/ijms21114159]
- Al Theyab A, Almutairi T, Al-Suwaidi AM, Bendriss G, McVeigh C, Chaari A. "Epigenetic Effects of Gut Metabolites: Exploring the Path of Dietary Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes." Frontiers in Nutrition. 2020;7:563605. [DOI:10.3389/fnut.2020.563605]
- Chaari A, Bendriss G, Zakaria D, McVeigh C. "Importance of Dietary Changes During the Coronavirus Pandemic: How to Upgrade Your Immune Response." Frontiers in Public Health. 2020;8:476. [DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00476]
- Salameh M, Burney Z, Mhaimeed N, Laswi I, Yousri NA, Bendriss G, Zakaria D. "The role of gut microbiota in atopic asthma and allergy, implications in the understanding of disease pathogenesis." Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. 2020;91(3):e12855. [DOI:10.1111/sji.12855]
- Bendriss G. The Neurosensory Booth: 16 Experiments in Perception and Neurophysiology of Senses for Premedical Studies. ISBN: 9798378981731