Gut feelings: the emerging biology of gut–brain communication

Mayer, Erik

doi:10.1038/nrn3071

Cited by 1,317 publications

(1,153 citation statements)

References 134 publications

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“…2,3 Excellent reviews of central visceral sensory processing are available. 1,5 Even in the periphery, visceral sensory neurons do not operate in isolation. Enteroendocrine cells of the mucosa, and immune cells in the gut wall both have important roles in initiating sensation and in modulating reflex control of the gut.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extrinsic primary afferent signalling in the gut

Brookes

Spencer

Costa

et al. 2013

Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol

240

216

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Visceral sensory neurons activate reflex pathways that control gut function and also give rise to important sensations, such as fullness, bloating, nausea, discomfort, urgency and pain. Sensory neurons are organised into three distinct anatomical pathways to the central nervous system (vagal, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral). Although remarkable progress has been made in characterizing the roles of many ion channels, receptors, and second messengers in visceral sensory neurons, the basic aim of understanding how many classes there are, and how they differ, has proven difficult to achieve. We suggest that there are just five structurally distinct types of sensory endings in the gut wall that account for essentially all of the primary afferent neurons in the three pathways. Each of these five major structural types of endings seems to show distinctive combinations of physiological responses. These types are: 'intraganglionic laminar' endings in myenteric ganglia; 'mucosal' endings located in the subepithelial layer; 'muscular mucosal' afferents, with mechanosensitive endings close to the muscularis mucosae; 'intramuscular' endings, with endings within the smooth muscle layers; and 'vascular' afferents, with sensitive endings primarily on blood vessels. 'Silent' afferents might be a subset of inexcitable 'vascular' afferents, which can be switched on by inflammatory mediators.Extrinsic sensory neurons comprise an attractive focus for targeted therapeutic intervention in a range of gastrointestinal disorders.2

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extrinsic primary afferent signalling in the gut

Brookes

Spencer

Costa

et al. 2013

Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol

240

216

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Numerous pathways connect internal organs such as the heart or the gut to the neocortex in the multiple loops that are important for homeostatic regulation [32][33][34]. Here, we concentrate first on the nature of the information that is being relayed, and then on ascending pathways and cortical structures receiving signals from internal organs, mainly posterior insula, ventral anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala and somatosensory cortex.…”

Section: The Biological Basis Of the Subjective Framementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Those neurons can be sensitive to physiological parameters having slow time constants, such as peptide concentration in the gut [33], or can reflect much faster events, such as mechanosensory neurons transiently emitting spikes at specific phases of the cardiac cycle [35]. The information relayed by visceral neurons can therefore inform the central nervous system on bodily state at multiple time-scales.…”

Section: The Biological Basis Of the Subjective Framementioning

confidence: 99%

The neural subjective frame: from bodily signals to perceptual consciousness

Park

Tallon‐Baudry

2014

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

180

138

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The report ‘I saw the stimulus’ operationally defines visual consciousness, but where does the ‘I’ come from? To account for the subjective dimension of perceptual experience, we introduce the concept of the neural subjective frame. The neural subjective frame would be based on the constantly updated neural maps of the internal state of the body and constitute a neural referential from which first person experience can be created. We propose to root the neural subjective frame in the neural representation of visceral information which is transmitted through multiple anatomical pathways to a number of target sites, including posterior insula, ventral anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala and somatosensory cortex. We review existing experimental evidence showing that the processing of external stimuli can interact with visceral function. The neural subjective frame is a low-level building block of subjective experience which is not explicitly experienced by itself which is necessary but not sufficient for perceptual experience. It could also underlie other types of subjective experiences such as self-consciousness and emotional feelings. Because the neural subjective frame is tightly linked to homeostatic regulations involved in vigilance, it could also make a link between state and content consciousness.

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“…1 Derangements of this axis (typically in the brain-to-gut direction) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of symptoms of many functional bowel disorders such as the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 2,3 In recent years, however, emerging knowledge about gut microbiota has compelled us to re-examine the directionality of this process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modulatory Effects of Gut Microbiota on the Central Nervous System: How Gut Could Play a Role in Neuropsychiatric Health and Diseases

Yarandi

Peterson

Treisman

et al. 2016

J Neurogastroenterol Motil

220

134

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Gut microbiome is an integral part of the Gut-Brain axis. It is becoming increasingly recognized that the presence of a healthy and diverse gut microbiota is important to normal cognitive and emotional processing. It was known that altered emotional state and chronic stress can change the composition of gut microbiome, but it is becoming more evident that interaction between gut microbiome and central nervous system is bidirectional. Alteration in the composition of the gut microbiome can potentially lead to increased intestinal permeability and impair the function of the intestinal barrier. Subsequently, neuro-active compounds and metabolites can gain access to the areas within the central nervous system that regulate cognition and emotional responses. Deregulated inflammatory response, promoted by harmful microbiota, can activate the vagal system and impact neuropsychological functions. Some bacteria can produce peptides or short chain fatty acids that can affect gene expression and inflammation within the central nervous system. In this review, we summarize the evidence supporting the role of gut microbiota in modulating neuropsychological functions of the central nervous system and exploring the potential underlying mechanisms.

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Gut feelings: the emerging biology of gut–brain communication

Cited by 1,317 publications

References 134 publications

Extrinsic primary afferent signalling in the gut

Extrinsic primary afferent signalling in the gut

The neural subjective frame: from bodily signals to perceptual consciousness

Modulatory Effects of Gut Microbiota on the Central Nervous System: How Gut Could Play a Role in Neuropsychiatric Health and Diseases

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