Where the gut meets the Brain
If you’ve ever felt nauseous before an important presentation, or foggy after a big meal, then you know the power of the gut-brain connection.
Scientists now believe that a surprising array of conditions, from appetite disorders and obesity to arthritis and depression, may get their start in the gut. But it hasn’t been clear how messages in this so-called “second brain” spread from our stomachs to our cerebrum. For decades, researchers believed that hormones in the bloodstream were the indirect channel between the gut and the brain.
Diego Bohórquez, a researcher from Duke University and his colleagues have identified the neural circuitry that connects the gut with the brain. This pathway is spanned by a single synapse, capable of relaying a signal from gut to brain in 100 milliseconds. This newly discovered pathway is probably exploited by pathogens, and will almost certainly lead to new therapies.
Link to DukeTODAY: https://today.duke.edu/2018/09/“gut-sense”-hardwired-not-hormonal
CITATION: "A Gut-Brain Neural Circuit for Nutrient Sensory Transduction," Melanie Maya Kaelberer, Kelly L. Buchanan, Marguerita E. Klein, Bradley B. Barth, Marcia M. Montoya, Xiling Shen, and Diego V. Bohórquez. Science, Sept. 21, 2018. DOI: 10.1126/science.aat5236
Client: Diego V. Bohórquez, PhD, Duke University
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