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A psychobiotic is a live bacterium (or the product of its fermentation) that, taken in sufficient amounts, produces a mental health benefit through the gut-brain axis: the vagus nerve, bacterial metabolites (short-chain fatty acids) and immune modulation. The term was coined by Dinan and Cryan in 2013.
The most studied strains are Bifidobacterium longum 1714 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 (the latter vagus-dependent in animal models), as well as combinations such as L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175. The signal in humans exists but remains modest and heterogeneous: more consistent in healthy people under stress, and still preliminary in clinical disorders.
Dinan TG, Stanton C, Cryan JF (2013). Psychobiotics: a novel class of psychotropic. Biol Psychiatry 74(10). doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.001 · Messaoudi M et al. (2011). Br J Nutr 105(5). doi:10.1017/S0007114510004319
Information, not medical advice.