Does the food we eat affect brain functions?

Does the food we eat affect brain functions?


 In an early proof-of-concept study by UCLA researchers, ingestion of a yogurt mix containing several probiotics twice a day for four weeks was found to affect the brain. Scans were conducted using fMRI both before and after the four week period, while the brain was in a state of rest and when it was exposed to an emotion-recognition task.
 The researchers found that ingestion of the probiotics (which changes the microbiota in the gut) resulted in a decrease in activity in both the insula and the somatosensory cortex during an emotional reactivity task. It was also found to result in a decrease in the engagement of a widespread network in the bran that includes emotion-, cognition-, and sensory-related areas. Furthermore, during a resting brain scan, greater connectivity was seen between the periaqueductal grey, which is a key brainstem region, and the cognitive-associated areas of the prefrontal cortex.

Source: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/changing-gut-bacteria-through-245617.aspx