ENS & IBS: The Brain & Gut Loop

The enteric nervous system of the gut is intimately connected to and shares a unique bi-directional relationship with the central nervous system. Like a loop, bottom-up messages are sent from the gut to the brain, while top-down messages are sent from the brain to the gut. In addition to being responsible for our ‘gut instincts,’ bottom-up messages influence how we feel physically, emotionally and psychologically, affecting both our cognition and our decision-making abilities. Top-down messaging influences the way our gut functions and its internal environment. When our brain senses danger, for example, if a person were being chased by a bear or were risking humiliation before giving a public speech, the brain sends messages to the gut to evacuate the bowels, before slowing both motility and digestion so that energy stores might be better spent fighting or fleeing whatever is causing the danger. The brain does not always distinguish between real danger and the perceived danger found in many of our daily activities, nor does it perceive the difference between physical or psychological stressors.

In plain English, what this means is that emotional/psychological stress has an affect on the way your gastrointestinal (GI) tract functions and perhaps equally as important, the quality of the environment in which your good gut bacteria thrives or strives. Inversely, the way your GI functions and the quality of your gut bacterial health affects the way you think and feel. Read more “ENS & IBS: The Brain & Gut Loop” →