Oral gavage of L. johnsonii attenuated IS-induced anxiety-like behaviors more potently than L. plantarum treatment [OT: F(1,14) = 300.710, p < 0.001; OE, F(1,14) = 411.568, p < 0.001]; increased BDNF expression; and suppressed NF-κB activation in the hippocampus (Figs 6a–i and S4a). Here, BDNF is linked to Anxiety.