We’ve blogged about the Brain-Gut and it’s relation to the Austism spectrum disorders; now the “microbiome”, a term coined by an American molecular biologist, which means “the ecological community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our body space” is the trending way to describe the relational system that may have an impact on virtually every facet of our mental and physical being.

In this fascinating video, Professor John F. Cryan’s of University College Cork (Ireland), whose current research interests include the neurobiological basis of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety and drug dependence as well as a focus on understanding the interaction between brain, gut & microbiome and how it applies to stress and immune-related disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome and obesity and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, has been asking a provocative question lately: Does our microbiome (the varied microflora in our gut) govern our behavior and sensitivity to stress?

His answer may surprise you.