We normally associate consciousness with the brain but it is worth remembering that the brain is part of a body.
According to an article in this week's New Scientist bacteria living in mammalian guts can affect behaviour and it seems that healthy gut bacteria are necessary for well regulated behaviour. This was shown when the gut bacteria from a particularly aggressive strain of mice were transferred to the guts of a notably docile strain and vice versa. The docile mice became aggressive and the aggressive ones became calmer.
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