A lack of “good bacteria” in childhood could be permanently changing the way the brain is wired up – at least if they affect people the same way they do mice.

Changes in our gut bacteria have been implicated in several mental health disorders , such as schizophrenia and depression, but it’s unclear whether these differences actually cause the problems or are knock-on effects. Now a lack of certain bacteria has been found to cause faulty patterns of connections between brain cells …