Links between the gut and the brain, the so-called gut-brain axis, are opening up possibilities for probiotic bacteria to play a role in brain health, be it behaviour or irritable bowel syndrome.
Professor John Bienenstock, director of the Brain-Body Institute at McMaster University in Canada told Stephen Daniells in Amsterdam that research in this area is at a relatively early stage.
"As for human applications at the moment, it is really just the beginning," said Prof Bienenstock.